WORK is set to begin on the first of hundreds of new homes which a developer says will bring affordable, quality accommodation to the rental and shared ownership market in Cornwall.

Treveth is a partnership set up by Cornwall Council to deliver new homes and commercial development to benefit people living and working in the county.

The start of construction at the Council-owned Maudlin Farm site in Liskeard is the beginning of a pipeline of projects, including those in Bodmin and Launceston, that will make more than 600 new homes available.

The Liskeard site will include 46 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, with 35 for private rent, seven for affordable rent and four for shared ownership.

The houses are expected to be available from spring 2022.

Construction is being carried out by Mi-Space and the properties will be built to high sustainable standards, says Treveth, with solar energy panels and renewable heating systems provided on all suitable properties.

They’ll have more floorspace than the minimum required, and all the homes will be allocated or sold to people with a connection to Cornwall, with those having local employment, prior residence or close family the first priority.

Three-year tenancies will also be offered, so as to provide people with more security than the current rental market provides.Tim Mulholland, Treveth managing director, said: “Treveth was created to be different and with a clear mission to improve people’s lives in Cornwall.

“To be starting work on our first new-build development is a milestone moment. We are very much operating as a commercial developer but our ‘Profit with Purpose’ ethos, and the stewardship role we will retain as custodians of our developments, means we’re able to take a long-term view on our decisions, the locations and types of homes we’re building and the build quality and sustainability of our properties.”

Sally Hawken, Cornwall Councillor for Liskeard East, said: “With around 266 households on the Cornwall Homechoice register waiting for a home in Liskeard, the housing need in the area is real.

“It’s therefore good to see that work is beginning at Maudlin Farm, which will go some way to address that need with good-quality new homes.”

Further Treveth Developments due to start in the coming months include: The second phase of the transformation of the former St Lawrence’s Hospital site on the western side of Bodmin, with 100 new houses and apartments; and a development of 140 new homes on land to the south of the Launceston Link Road.