The Church of England Just Won Approval for 315 Homes on Its Own Farmland

• Cornwall Council approved 315 homes on Church Commissioners land near Falmouth
• 35% of the homes will be affordable
• The 13.4-hectare site includes a small mixed-use local centre
• The Commissioners’ wider pipeline is about 32,000 homes across England

The Church of England’s investment arm has secured planning permission for a major housing development on the edge of Falmouth in Cornwall, Premier Christian News reported in August 2024.

Cornwall Council approved plans from the Church Commissioners for 315 homes on a 13.4-hectare site. Just over a third, 35%, are to be affordable, and the scheme includes a 280-square-metre local centre for mixed uses. The homes are aimed at a range of buyers and tenants, including families, older people and first-time buyers.

The decision was not without controversy. The site is agricultural land, but the planning officer’s report concluded that “no other lower-grade sites are available in the area to meet housing needs.” Councillor David Saunby warned that local services were already stretched: “schools are at near or full capacity, doctors and dentists are struggling to cope as it is.”

Matthew Naylor, a team lead at the Church Commissioners, said the development fits “the Archbishops’ Commission’s vision for sustainable, safe, stable, social and satisfying homes,” a reference to the Church’s 2021 Coming Home report on housing. The Falmouth scheme is one part of a much larger pipeline: the Commissioners are working towards about 32,000 homes across England, with 8,000 of them in live planning applications in 2023.

For Jamaican churches with large rural or peri-urban holdings, the Falmouth approval shows what a denomination can do when it treats land as a long-term housing asset. It also shows the trade-offs: farmland lost, pressure on schools and clinics, and the need to win over local councillors. Churches in Jamaica considering subdivisions or housing partnerships will face similar questions from parish councils and neighbours, and a clear plan for affordable units and local services can make the difference.

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