A CONSULTATION process into providing much-needed affordable housing in the Calstock parish is to be re-started after Cornwall Council admitted there were some failings in the way the project was set up.

The announcement that consultations will take place within each individual ward in the parish followed a meeting in Harrowbarrow and Metherell Village Hall recently where many local residents said they had been left in the dark about what was happening.

There were criticisms over the lack of advertising for a consultation day in November where people were invited to give their views on 20 possible development sites in the whole of the parish, which has many small villages and settlements.

The whole process started a year ago when Cornwall Council put out a 'call for land' — in this first exercise of its kind in East Cornwall, landowners were asked to come forward with potential sites to address the shortage of affordable homes in the parish. These sites were then discussed between council officers and Calstock Parish Council but behind closed doors to protect the privacy of landowners.

Cornwall Council's affordable housing officer for East Cornwall Christopher Lunn said at the meeting in Harrowbarrow that it was a mistake not to tell the public about the process from the beginning.

'The council accepts that there were some failings in the way the project was set up, most notably that it did not work well in such a large and disparate parish as Calstock,' he said. 'Therefore, it will now be focussed down to individual wards and villages.'

New consultation days for each ward to be held next year, will be given full notice and publicity and take the form of drop-in sessions from 2pm to 7pm, said Mr Lunn. There would be revised questionnaires which would be tailored to each ward.

He said the current consultation was suspended but all the questionnaires and associated letters and emails received so far would be retained for future reference.

Chairman of Calstock Council Dick Hoile said things had not gone well to start with but he was pleased Cornwall Council was now finding a way forward.

'This is the first time this method has been used in such a large parish and so I guess mistakes can be made. It was important that people had an opportunity to express their views at the meeting in Harrowbarrow and those views have been listened to.

'There is obviously a need for affordable housing in this parish and hopefully through these changes that are being made people will have a better sense of what is happening.'

Mr Lunn said recently that there were 50 people in need of housing in the Calstock parish and there was likely to be another 50 who were not on the housing register.