The Prince of Wales is planning on building a £3million social housing development on his land in a bid to tackle homelessness.
Prince William has supervised plans to construct 24 homes in Cornwall, which are expected to be completed next year.
The properties, which will include a mix of four-bedroom houses and one-bedroom flats, will be located in Nansledan, a suburb of Newquay, according to The Times.
Sources told the outlet that the royal wanted to lead the project and that he is considering more projects on his land.
In an interview with the newspaper last year, the heir to the throne revealed his plans to build social housing on his Duchy of Cornwall land.
It is understood that the homes will be low-carbon and have slate roofs, granite lintels, solar panels and heat pumps.
Environmentally conscious like his father, the Prince of Wales has ordered for the site to be planted with an array of shrubs and flowers to encourage biodiversity.
It is understood that Prince William wants the development to ‘look and feel as homely as possible’ to combat the stigma of social housing. Each home will be complete with colourful timber windows.
The land, which he controls as the Duke of Cornwall, stretches 130,000-acres from Cornwall to Kent and was valued at £1billion.
And the duchy, which provides the heir to the throne with an income, will supply the land for the project for free and cover all construction costs.
William was 11-years-old when his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and Prince Harry to a homeless shelter and is now a patron of the Passage, the charity that ran it.
Aged just 13, the royal told his mother: ‘If I become King, I will let the homeless live in our palaces,’ according to Richard Kay.
He followed in his mother’s footsteps to become a patron of another charity, Centrepoint, in 2005, and spoke at an affordable housing development of 33 flats for young people funded by the group in 2022.
William is working on the project in Cornwall with local homelessness charity St Petrocs and is aiming to get those living in temporary homes in Nansledan into permanent accommodation.
The Prince hopes that landowners will follow his lead and build more social housing.
‘Wraparound services’ are also expected to be offered to residents, such as mental health support and employment opportunities.
As a senior royal and with the eyes of the world constantly on him, the Prince was asked what he does personally to help people sleeping rough in the interview with the newspaper last year.
‘I don’t tend to give money. I tend to buy them a drink, food, something like that. I find that when I’m walking around or driving past and see other people do it [give money], people don’t even look at them. How many people stop and talk to somebody who is homeless? Very few of us.
‘In my job, I get to meet these people, I get to hear the stories, I get to feel it, I get to see it. That for me — and I’ve heard from them themselves — matters an awful lot.
‘They’ve become invisible. It’s really important that society acknowledges that there is somebody there and they’re having a tough time. It shouldn’t happen but it’s right there. You can’t ignore it.’
Last June, the heir launched an ambitious £3million programme to ‘end’ homelessness within five years called ‘Homewards’.
He personally funded, through his Royal Foundation’s charitable arm, six projects in flagship locations across the UK.
It has brought together local stakeholders, experts and even house builders to eradicate rough sleeping, ‘sofa surfing’ and temporary hostels and bring about substantive change.
Experts from Homewards will also work on the Nansledan project.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
