Cornish mining yard to become temporary housing for former rough sleepers

The yard at Cowlins Mill in Penhallick Road, Carn Brea, for 10 one-bedroom modular homes
The historic mining yard will be converted into accommodation. Credit: Cornwall Council

A former commercial yard is set to be redeveloped into temporary accommodation for former rough sleepers.

Cornwall Council called the project a "landmark housing scheme" which will support people on their journey towards settled and permanent homes.

It comes in the wake of a mounting housing crisis in the area.

The yard at Cowlins Mill in Penhallick Road, Carn Brea will be home to 10 one-bedroom modular homes.

They will be used as ‘move on’ accommodation to support people on their journey towards settled, permanent, homes.  

It will convert the former industrial workshops and offices on the site into management, meeting and recreation space, and create a pedestrian walkway through the site to Pool.

How the area will look. Credit: Cornwall Council

Significant planting will be carried out to maximise the ecological benefit and bring the site back to life. 

Key elements of the site’s history are being carefully preserved, including turning some of the former workshops into new walled gardens and restoring an arched stained-glass window and converting it into a clock to be mounted on the front of the new communal building.

Olly Monk, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, said: “A key part of our plan to tackle Cornwall’s housing issues is to make sure that those most vulnerable and in greatest need have a safe place to stay. 

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“This project will take a run-down and unused brownfield site originally built at the turn of the 20th century and bring it to life by converting it into bespoke, high-quality accommodation – at the same time preserving the area’s rich mining and industrial heritage. 

“Officers have worked extremely hard to find a way to provide this type of accommodation on the site and I am extremely grateful and proud of this and what it will mean for those people that will be able to live here in the future.  

“This is the first site of many that we will be using to help those in most need."

Work on the site, which was previously home to a council workshop and offices compound, is due to begin soon with demolition and site clearance works. 

The new modular homes are due to be delivered to the site in the autumn and are due to be ready in December.