Sustainable Growth and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 11 November 2025

The Sustainable Growth & Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that there were no declarations of interest and formally approved the minutes of its 7 October 2025 meeting. A resolution was passed, by a majority of the members, to exclude the press and public while the Committee considered information classified as Category 3 (financial or business affairs of a particular person). Councillor Mitchell recorded a dissenting vote on that resolution, and the related minutes were marked confidential. The Committee later resolved that any further debate on questions to the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Investment would be conducted in public.

During the public portion of the meeting the Cabinet Member answered a series of questions. He explained that roughly 25 % of the current Devonport workforce already resides in Cornwall and outlined plans to secure well‑paid jobs for local residents, improve transport links (including the Torpoint Ferry and rail services), and develop new housing within commuting distance. He confirmed that Westminster MPs are actively lobbying for a housing deal for Cornwall and that a major housing meeting is scheduled in Westminster; alternative funding such as Evergreen repayable grants is being pursued following the loss of the Shared Prosperity Fund. Regarding County Farms, the Cabinet Member clarified that the Council is not selling the farms themselves but is disposing of a small number of farmhouses and parcels where tenancies have ended, a routine estate‑management exercise that has previously raised about £2 million. Capital receipts from these sales will be placed in the general fund, although the Council has already allocated roughly £16 million to the farm estate for maintenance and housing priorities.

The Committee reviewed its mid‑year work programme and approved an updated version with several additions. An informal briefing on the Local Plan’s “viability” theme is scheduled for 15 December 2025, followed by a formal discussion of the Cornwall Council Road Safety Strategy Refresh on 3 March 2026. Regular briefings on the Visit Cornwall tourism programme, a briefing from Cornwall Housing on reducing the timescale for making housing stock decent from eight to four years, and a further tourism‑policy briefing were also mandated. The Chair, Vice‑Chair, Senior Responsible Officer and Democratic Services Lead were given authority to amend