One acre. One community. One part of the solution.
Cornwall's housing difficulties fill the headlines. Our county faces continually soaring prices, empty homes and long waiting lists for social housing, and behind those headlines are real people. People who work here, raise families here and contribute here. Many who have been born here and are part of a generational heritage, yet still can't find somewhere secure and affordable to live.
The Acre Project is our answer to that. A simple idea with serious intent: use small pockets of land to create small, sustainable neighbourhoods for local people, right where they need to be.
How the Acre Project works
We start with an acre of land, often donated or offered at peppercorn rent by a landowner who wants to create a lasting local legacy.
On that acre, we aim to help deliver solutions, such as:
- Innovative homes designed for the long term: beautifully built, low running costs, minimal-impact foundations that keep build costs down and speed up delivery.
- Shared amenities that create community — gardens, growing spaces, workspaces, laundry, and EV charging. Things that make life more affordable and more connected.
- High-performance buildings so residents spend less on bills and more on living.
Every acre is held in trust, secured for that community, permanently.
The gap we're filling
Cornwall's housing ladder has rungs missing.
At the top there are high-value homes, often attracting buyers from elsewhere. Further down there is "affordable" housing in the policy sense, which is still, in practice, unaffordable for many. At the bottom there’s emergency provision. And in the middle, falling through the gaps? There are thousands of people who don't qualify for emergency housing and can't break into the private market.
People like:
- Key workers keeping our hospitals, schools, and care homes running
- Single parents holding families together on low incomes
- Sofa surfers living without security or a place to call their own
- Hospitality and tourism workers, who are the backbone of Cornwall's economy
These, and many others, are the people the Acre Project is for.
Why the problem is getting harder to solve
In many of our communities, there is almost no private rental property left. What little remains is priced beyond local wages.
And Cornwall's geography makes it harder. The lack of regular, affordable public transport between rural communities means that moving elsewhere often costs people their job security rather than improving it.
People can't find homes where they work. And they can't travel from where they live to better-paid opportunities. It's a double bind, and one that only gets tighter without genuinely local, genuinely affordable housing.
Our role
Homes for Cornwall isn't a developer. We're the connector and the trusted guide.
We bring the right people into the room: landowners, planners, councils, and future residents. And we help everyone navigate every stage, from ownership models to planning permission. We make the process transparent, inclusive, and rooted in what the local community actually needs.
We work with Parish Councils, Community Land Trusts, and local partners to make sure homes are owned and managed for the benefit of the community, now and in the future.
The impact
One acre might not sound like much.
But an acre can be the difference between a family staying in the village they grew up in and leaving Cornwall altogether. Between a key worker being five minutes from the hospital and an hour away on a bus that doesn't exist. Between a community staying whole or slowly hollowing out.
Every Acre Project neighbourhood will strengthen the local economy, keep essential workers close to the jobs we all rely on, and help preserve the heart of our towns and villages.
We're aiming to help rebuild the missing rungs of Cornwall's housing ladder, one acre at a time.
Could you help?
Whether you're a landowner with land to offer, a Parish Council exploring options, or someone who simply believes Cornwall deserves better, we'd love to hear from you.