GILBERT: HOMES SHORTAGE IS "SCANDAL"

1.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 12th May 2007

Stephen Gilbert is calling for radical action to help solve Cornwall's homes shortage.

As plans for five 10,000 home eco-villages to be built in the UK were announced by Government, Stephen Gilbert said: "The homes shortage in Cornwall is now beyond a crisis, and we need radical action to tackle it."

"It is an absolute scandal that many Cornish people can not afford to buy a home in the area they were born. Only radical action will solve this problem and that means revisiting development policy which is often a straight-jacket on new building."

"Existing communities need to be protected from over-development and local services, like schools, need more investment, but we must put tackling this crisis at the top of the agenda."