Cornwall's West Carclaze Garden Village

There is a slow and idyllic way of life in Cornwall that tends to be romanticised, despite a documented housing crisis here that has significantly worsened post-COVID. As a peninsula, Cornwall is limited by infrastructure and supply options that other parts of the UK take for granted.

Another challenge is the number of holiday homes. In 2022, there were 20,688 active Airbnb listings documented across the county, compared to just 248 rental properties listed on Rightmove¹. This imbalance highlights the disparity between Cornwall’s postcard-perfect image and the housing struggles many of its residents face.

Just outside of the coastal parish town of St Austell—a town characterised by its rich china clay mining and rural and maritime history—is the site of a new major development aimed at addressing Cornwall’s housing challenges. Spanning a vast 500-acre of disused china clay mining land, West Carclaze Garden Village is a landmark project that came out of the former Labour Government’s Eco-town initiative and is inspired by garden city principles, combining sustainability with community-focused development. As one of Cornwall’s most ambitious masterplans, it is set to deliver 1,500 low-carbon homes alongside employment space and community assets over a phased delivery of 15 years. The enabling road and utility infrastructure, which deliver utility systems, including electricity, water, gas and telecommunications networks, was constructed by Cornwall Council utilising a Homes England Housing Infrastructure grant ahead of new homes being built.

The first phase of the project was the delivery of Carluddon Technology Park featuring the Employment Space for Advanced Manufacture (ESAM) was completed and opened in 2018². A school is also under construction through the Department for Education (DfE) free school programme. The ambitious master plan features a number of neighbourhoods, including village centres and over 350 acres of diverse parkland. With properties ranging from two-bedroom flats to five-bedroom detached townhouses, over 150 homes are now complete, laying the foundations for a vibrant new and eco-conscious community in Cornwall.

The project is a key part of the development strategy of the 2010-2030 Cornwall Local Plan, which aims to foster self-sufficient and resilient communities by ensuring access to safe, affordable and stable housing³. With a 20-year target to deliver 52,500 homes, the plan emphasises the development of both urban and rural settlements (provided there is no listed status) to ensure comprehensive growth across the county. Given the scale of West Carclaze Garden Village, this scheme significantly contributes to these targets.

The land at West Carclaze was once owned by Imerys, the china clay mining and processing operator who formed a joint venture with a developer to bring about the sustainability-focused EcoBos and develop this project. Cornwall Council, alongside Homes England, have worked in partnership with EcoBos to support the delivery of the scheme. The council is acquiring 130 of the overall 1,500 properties for social rent, affordable rent, and shared ownership. Of these, 79 have been completed and 21 are nearing completion. Alice Hardy, Senior Housing Strategy Officer and Public Practice Associate, credits the Council’s detailed analysis of local housing needs as a key factor in ensuring high occupancy rates across the masterplan and successfully creating a thriving new neighbourhood.

Amy Wallace, Housing Strategy Officer and Public Practice Associate says a key takeaway from the project has been the importance of collaboration. The council has streamlined the occupation process by working closely with internal housing teams, management companies and local estate agents.

The approach has not only been critical to West Carclaze Garden Village’s progress but is also shaping strategies for future housing developments across the county.

Harmonising and utilising the relationship between the existing landscape and new development to create a special community has been a central aspiration of the West Carclaze Garden Village project. The site's steep topography and the man-made substrates in many areas posed significant challenges throughout the development and construction of the scheme. However, mining relics such as the Sky Tip and former mining lakes create a stunning backdrop to this emerging community, providing a key aspect of the village’s identity and cultural heritage.

The masterplan strategically integrates the landscape into the design, working with its natural features rather than against them. A central spine road threads through the site, connecting residential areas and rejuvenating historic trails. In addition to housing, the council hopes that utilising this formerly despoiled land will bring wider social and environmental benefits, making the unique landscape accessible to more visitors.

Throughout the pre-planning process, Cornwall Council’s planning team carefully balanced the need for housing density with a commitment to preserving the natural surroundings and celebrating its value as a visual amenity. Higher-density areas are placed near arrival points to encourage access to public spaces and transport. At the same time, lower-density homes sit along the edges to achieve integration with the landscape and minimise visual impact.

The homes at West Carclaze are built using innovative, sustainable techniques designed to withstand Cornwall’s challenging climate, including exposure to corrosive sea air and strong winds and maximising energy efficiency. A solar farm powers the development, while 500,000 newly planted trees are expected to sequester more carbon annually than is emitted, putting the development on track to achieve net zero within 30 years⁴.

The project also includes forward-thinking road infrastructure, connecting the village to the wider region. Additionally, the development invests in businesses and retail spaces, aiming to attract working-age residents to increase economic growth and support Cornwall’s ambition to retain and sustain a vibrant local workforce.

Although still underway, West Carclaze has already proven transformative to Cornwall Council’s thinking about housing delivery and large-scale development. Lessons learned from this masterplan have influenced other projects, including Langarth Garden Village in Truro, which is envisioned as a vibrant and well-connected community for over 10,000 residents on a former brownfield site. The scheme has also informed other strategic workstreams, including an own build and acquisition specification to advocate for high-quality living. Limited funding has also prompted Cornwall to adopt innovative approaches to housing delivery on other schemes, such as expanding partnerships with registered providers and encouraging small to medium-sized developers to increase resources and accelerate construction.

Perhaps the project’s most remarkable success may lie in its wider collaborative efforts, which Hardy describes as contributing to a “holistic and high-quality development that would be difficult to achieve in isolation.” West Carclaze clearly indicates the Council’s intent to introduce innovative housing solutions that set a precedent for a more connected, sustainable and forward-looking Cornwall.