“When are we English going to admit that sometimes those unspeakable foreigners can teachy us something. Here in Belgium, there is an extra tax upon houses not used as a residence. Think about it.”

“"Onan Hag All" you make me laff!

"The priority of the Kernow assembly, indeed its first priority, should be to take into public ownership all the houses by those who abuse our nations housing stock for pleasure."

Are you Stalinist or something? If not, presumably you would need primary legislation and have to pay billions in compensation, both equally implausible.

They say the difference between a Neurotic and a Psychotic is that the former build castles in the sky and the latter live in them. Which one are you I wonder?”

“Calmer Waters speaks the truth. Kernow has all teh houses our nation needs!! The priority of the Kernow assembly, indeed its first priority, should be to take into public ownership all the houses by those who abuse our nations housing stock for pleasure. The should then be redistributed equitably to rightful and true people who can show they are Cornish nationals. We have an abundance of good housing stock here, more than our nations needs. But the illegal activities of the English Imperial State, who have no rightful permission to make laws in Kernow, have sequestered our houses away. Kernow Assembly should repossess our houses, kick out those who have desecrated Kernow¿s abodes as ¿second homes¿, and tax to the hilt anyone renting out a house for holidays!!!

Kernow Bys Vyken!!”

“:| A 'Murphy's Law' that must always born in mind when ever purchasing property. . When prices are rising, people never seem to think they will ever stop going up, and conversely when prices are falling people never think they will ever stop going down. . . But they always do! . . "Life's a b*tch and then you die."”

“@Peter B Wellington "The answer to all the housing/pricing problems is extremely simple, but no one will face up to it.

RELEASE more land for building."

Well it's not actually Peter! Builders will only build if they can make a profit. New houses are predominantly purchased and occupied by people outside the county because they can afford them. Just building more houses therefore is a double whammy - it uses up valuable agricultural land and puts pressure on the infrastructure, whilst doing nothing to assist those needing houses. It should be noted that the population of Cornwall is about twice what it was fifty years ago, with proportionately more houses, largely caused by inward migration. Yet there is still a shortage, rather proving the point.”

“:| @David, St Austell

David your politics are showing a little; wrong boom, wrong decade. Historically property values have followed inflation and income levels over the much longer term. . . Expect property values to yet drop further because of the relatively low level of inflation over recent years (not counting property). . In the early 70's the value of certain property actually trebled in a very short time, but because of much higher inflation. . But when prices stopped rising, the prices achieved just plateaued for several years, but the REAL value was then actually dropping by about 10% a year in a slower market. . In my opinion, as selling a home becomes easier, history will repeat itself, and some people will just get out of the market and wait for the 'bottom', whatever that is. . Again in my opinion, prices for a really buoyant market probably shouldn't be much more than double they were in 1995/96, but there will be the usual variation because of location and desirability. . Best Charles.”

“With great respect, Peter, you are wrong.

There is more than enough housing to go round to provide shelter for everyone both in Cornwall and elsewhere in the UK.

How the plentiful and abundant housing stock is being misused/unused that is the issue.

Proper, efficient and environmentally sound use = no housing 'shortage'. Simple.

The relatively recent commoditisation and monopolisation of shelter for self-enrichment by an affluent minority is the root cause of the current inefficient use of shelter across the land.”

“The answer to all the housing/pricing problems is extremely simple, but no one will face up to it.

RELEASE more land for building.

Prices will fall to genuine "affordable" levels, and the property speculators will get their fingers burnt, which is as it should be.”

“Robert.

Who NEEDS more than one house? Nobody.

Here are the latest figures - probably an understatement - for houses in Cornwall 'owned' by non-residents:

North Cornwall ¿ 3940
St Austell and Newquay ¿ 1678
Truro and Falmouth ¿ 1885
Camborne and Redruth ¿ 1154
St Ives ¿ 3366
South East Cornwall ¿ 1832

Not an insignificant number - around 10% of Cornwall's total residential housing stock. The distribution leads to concentrations of up to 70% in some near deserted communities.

It's an appalling scandal. Not only do these anti-social non-residents punch holes in the fabric of Cornish society - they also inflate the cost of housing for the people of Cornwall in general. The people of Cornwall have to pay way over the odds to put a roof over their heads because of these social vandals.

There are around 1,000,000 houses in the UK standing empty.

THERE IS NO PROPER USE HOUSING SHORTAGE.”

“House Prices are dictated by market forces but not pure market forces. The planning pocess inevitably puts a constain on supply. This constaint benefits those owning homes outright and developers by allowing them to maintain a higher price brackets then would be sustainable in a pure market.

For anyone attempting to enter the house market or those who have a morgage to repay this is bad news as the affordablility of purchase ever since the mid 1960's has relative to wages become harder and harder. Now the banks have realised that prices are so inflated and have been stung so badly by lending up to every increasing morgage/wage ratios that without large % deposits which equate into trypically £c40,000 captial you can't get a morgage at all.

At the same time as a result the number of housholds unable to afford private housing and waiting on housing lists is 3.5million in England and rising.

While in Cornwall clearly second home ownership in St Ives, Padstow, Looe etc and many pretty seaside villages helps compound this it does not account for the majority of the problem. That is an urban myth. Who many second homes are there in Camborne. Redurth, Bodmin and St Austall etc.

To put it simply Lack of Supply due to market distortion from the Free Market is causing the problem and in Cornwall the situation is among the worse in the UK as wages are low and the desirable location is leading to an ever rising population of people moving her to live/work and retire as a PRIMARY not secondary residence. (just look at the General Census since 1951.)

So solutions are not easy. But lets address the real issues not urban myths: -

1. Rising population of permenant residents among the highest rates of increase in the UK.

2. Lack of supply to meet this rising population due to its speed and a constained market supply of housing not a true free market.

3. Low relative wages of local workforce relative to incoming retirement populations incomes when working upcountry.

4. No legal method to restain free movement of population into Cornwall.

5. Sever resistance from a vocal proportion of population against much proposed housing developement supported politically by parish and cornwall councillors.

SOLUTION?

I doubt one can be found on a LOCAL BASIS at all. If anyone can produce one which will not be based on ILLEGAL restiction of freedom of movement both under EU and Common Law and which would be on a LARGE ENOUGH scale and SUFFICIANTLY FUNDED that it would not automatically be drowned by local political oppostion I will be most intersested in hearing it.

But the moment any Government imposes a policy from accross the Tamar the protests will be heard from here to the moon.

Meanwhile what are those stuck on the housing register are in short term tenancies with not prospect of buying which is an increasing % of the Cornish Population going to do to have a home rather than a roof over their heads? Who locally is standing up for them and not simply playing lip service to the problem!”