The Prince of Wales announced Sunday that the Duchy of Cornwall is behind a £3 million innovative housing project in Nansledan, Newquay, his first since assuming control of duchy funds.

In a media release from Kensington Palace, Prince William announced that this innovative housing project will be driven in partnership with St Petrocs, a local homelessness charity.

Construction on the 24 homes begins this September and the Duchy says the first homes in the project are due to be completed in the fall of 2025. According to Kensington Palace, “the first phase will focus on creating high quality temporary accommodation that feels like home with a clear pathway to a permanent home as accommodation becomes available.”

St Petrocs will help those living in the homes “access wrap around support, build community connections through training and employment and ultimately find permanent accommodation,” according to the Palace.  

“As one of his key priorities for the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William asked us to address the homelessness challenge within Cornwall and other areas where the estate resides,” said Ben Murphy, Estate Director of the Duchy of Cornwall in a Palace statement.

The Duchy and St Petrocs will also retain support from Homewards, the homelessness project that William launched in 2023. According to the Palace, the Duchy will be “harnessing the guidance and network of Homewards in the design of this project. Homewards will be evaluating the impact of this initial innovative housing project and will share the learnings with their local coalitions in their six locations across the UK.”

The Duchy will aim to increase affordable housing in Nansledan from 30% to 40% in the future, which means up to 200 more homes built. The renting scheme will focus on social rent, but the Duchy also has plans to introduce a Private Rented Scheme that will remove the barrier for lower income renters to access homes, retain long-term leases, and gain security in their tenancies.

The Duchy also announced that it will build over 400 social-rented homes and 475 affordable dwellings in South East Faversham in Kent.