FOLLOWING CONCERNS from the police and Cornwall Council officials, plans to put three Bunkabin cabins for the homeless on land rear of 32 Normandy Way, Bodmin have been withdrawn.

Their purpose was to help address the acute shortage of accommodation for homeless people in Cornwall. Bunkabin is the UK’s largest provider of temporary accommodation in the UK and Cornwall Council currently has 49 of its units in car parks in Truro and Penzance. Each is self-contained with a fully fitted bathroom, central heating, bed, desk, chair, fridge, microwave and TV. Units are connected to mains water, electricity and drainage and have broadband connection. The proposal was for the Bodmin units to have private garden spaces with views over the countryside.

But Devon and Cornwall Police were unhappy with the plans saying: ‘Given the site is located at the heart of a large industrial estate with everything that it will bring in terms of noise and commercial activity we feel we must question whether this location is really suitable for this type of residential use. Most importantly there is no information regarding who would likely be housed there and for how long and what levels of support they may require.’

Public Protection also had concerns because some of the businesses on the estate work all hours and create noise. The report said: ‘There are reservations that this isn’t a suitable site for residential accommodation and potentially likely to give rise to complaints which we would be unable to deal with. Should the application have been for permanent housing we would have had no option than to recommend refusal.’