Low‑income residents in Cornwall face intensifying barriers to accessing quality housing, particularly affordable low‑carbon homes, as property prices continue to rise due to second‑home ownership, tourism pressures, and the rapid growth of short‑term rentals such as Airbnb. These dynamics, compounded by counter‑urbanisation and restrictive planning frameworks, have deepened rural housing poverty and entrenched deprivation. Addressing the limited availability of feasible solutions, this study develops an Innovative Planning‑Led Sustainability Model designed to incentivise housing developers to deliver more affordable low‑carbon homes in rural contexts.

Funded by the Cal Henderson Foundation, the project draws on interdisciplinary expertise to integrate emerging technologies and sustainable design practices, offering a replicable approach to future housing development. The model also examines how local planning authorities can leverage planning conditions to require the incorporation of environmentally sustainable materials and design principles as part of the development approval process. By doing so, it provides a practical tool for mitigating the pressures of Cornwall’s overheated housing market, particularly the influx of second‑home buyers, while supporting local progress toward net‑zero policy targets.

The model was developed through a two‑stage research design. The first stage involved extensive secondary analysis of academic literature, government policy, and industry reports to construct an initial conceptual framework. The second stage refined this framework through two focus‑group workshops employing thematic brainstorming and grounded theory. Insights generated from these workshops were synthesised and integrated into the final model, offering a novel planning‑led approach to delivering affordable low‑carbon housing in rural England.