Habinteg Report: Cornwall’s new housing plans leave wheelchair users behind | Latest news

Disabled people in Cornwall face a scarcity of accessible homes with recent research by Habinteg Housing Association revealing that the county has no planning policy for new wheelchair user homes.

There are 3,070 households in Cornwall waiting for an accessible social home, 361 of which need a wheelchair user property, and there are zero accessible social homes available, as of February 2026, according to Cornwall Council. Wheelchair users make up 11% of the waiting list yet there is no current Local Plan policy for development of new wheelchair user homes.

Habinteg’s report, A forecast for accessible homes 2025 , reveals that the South West is planning to build one wheelchair user home (known as M4(3) in Building Regulations) for every 810 people over the next 10 years – that’s lower than the national average of one new wheelchair user home per 538 people.

* Habinteg’s research also shows there is one accessible and adaptable home (known as M4(2) in Building Regulations) planned for every 355 people in Cornwall. This compares to one M4(2) home being planned every 52 people across the South West region. The M4(2) accessible and adaptable homes standard is not a specialist standard but provides inclusively designed homes that meet the changing needs of a wide range of people over their life course.

Long waiting lists for wheelchair users

Cornwall resident and wheelchair user, Abigail Dorrington-Young, 31, has struggled to find suitable accommodation for several years in Cambourne, one of Cornwall’s largest towns.

“In my previous rental home, which didn’t meet my needs, I was told by an occupational therapist that it would be best that I stayed where I was because I’d be waiting 10 years for an accessible council home to become available,” she said.

Ms. Dorrington-Young has recently decided to move in with her partner who rents an M4(2) accessible and adaptable Habinteg home, which they are adapting with the help of a Disabled Facilities Grant.

“The grant is paying for a walk-in shower, which will help a lot as I struggle to step in and out of the bath to use the existing shower. And while I can currently use stairs independently, I may struggle further down the line,” Ms. Dorrington-Young said.

Currently, there are 3,961 adults and 581 children in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who are registered with the NHS wheelchair service, according to the latest data published by NHS England. The 2021 Census showed that over a quarter (25.9%) of Cornwall’s population is aged between 65 and 74 years old.

Local accessibility consultant and Habinteg Insight Group member, Jamie Hanlon, said: “It’s really worrying that wheelchair users are not being included in planning policy. Cornwall’s current poor provision for accessible housing is a crisis for local older and disabled people now and for future generations. It’s clear from Habinteg’s research that without government targets for such housing, Cornwall Council is not going to act.”

Poor provision for accessible housing

Cornwall’s current Local Plan requires only 25% of new homes, on developments of 10 or more new dwellings, to meet M4(2) requirements. In response to an enquiry by Habinteg, Cornwall Council stated that a higher proportion of M4(2) homes may be delivered through affordable housing. 

Cornwall starts work on a new Local Plan this summer, which will set planning policy until 2050 and will be adopted in early 2029.

Habinteg’s Director of Social Impact and External Affairs, Christina McGill, said: “This new plan provides a great opportunity for Cornwall to increase its target for M4(2) homes across all tenures, as well as including a target for M4(3) homes. We’d like to see Cornwall go beyond the Government’s proposed new national expectation that at least 40% of new homes should be built to M4(2).

“A dearth of accessible properties has serious consequences for individuals - including reducing a person’s independence, wellbeing and life chances. Society suffers too, because inaccessible homes drive unnecessary demand on public health and social care services by reducing people’s independence.

“The Government’s lack of an adequate mandatory baseline for accessible homes has forced local authorities to determine their own provision rates, leading to shortages across England. This is why Habinteg is urging the government to make M4(2) the basic requirement for all new homes, and to ensure that every local plan includes a requirement for an adequate number of wheelchair accessible M4(3) homes. This will help to meet current and future demand for accessible housing across all regions and give disabled people and older people an equal chance of finding a home in which they can thrive.”