A programme to create new affordable community-owned homes has been launched.

The Peninsula Trust is an independent group owned by its members, the residents of the Rame Peninsula.

Managers say social housing is in very short supply in the five parishes of the Rame Peninsula, which is in the top five areas of Cornwall for second home ownership.

Now the trust wants to spearhead a plan to tackle the problem – and aims to be creating housing within two years.

General manager Simon Ryan said: ‘Private rental properties are expensive and hard to come by, often being snapped up within days. Inflated rental costs can be out of reach for many families, with the added pressure of having to find staggeringly large deposits to secure housing.

‘There is a very real need for housing that is genuinely affordable, and through talking to people and holding public events, our aim is to find out exactly what that need is, be that rooms to rent or three-bed family homes.’

The trust has arranged two public meetings on Monday, October 9, at the Community Hall, Kingsand, at 7.30pm, and on Tuesday, October 17, at the Village Hall, Millbrook at 7.30pm.