A renowned country estate in Cornwall is seeking permission to change the use of holiday lodges into homes for NHS workers due to the combined impact of Airbnb accommodation, the Covid pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, which has seen the closure of its once-popular golf course.

The estate office of Killiow House at Kea, between Truro and Falmouth, has applied to Cornwall Council for planning permission to allow it to use its lodges as "desperately needed" accommodation for NHS staff during the winter, between the months of October and March. The Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, is three miles away.

Killiow was previously granted permission to build 20 lodges on the basis the development would "significantly improve" income to its ailing golf business and help support the high costs of maintaining the fabric of the numerous Grade 2 and 2* listed buildings comprising the Killiow Estate.

The project was developed to provide golfing, recreational, and additional needs accommodation at a time when the golf course was in full, but not profitable, operation. Ten of the lodges are currently in operation.

A supporting statement for the application says: "Shortly after opening the lodges the members of the golf club were destined to take on the day-to-day management of the course but the outbreak of Covid prohibited the club from operating and the course now remains permanently closed.

Since 2020 the forced closure of the golf course, the impact of Airbnb-type short break accommodation, the greatly reduced visitor numbers in the last 18 months, the disadvantage of charging VAT, the fuel crisis, spiralling labour and weekly changeover costs together with nationwide seasonal holiday letting rates being cut (up to 50% in many cases) has resulted in the lodges being almost financially unviable."

A condition of the approval restricts Killiow from allowing short-term winter lettings which most other private operators are permitted to do. "At the time of making this application all ten of our lodges stand to be closed this coming winter and if that happens the annual income from the lodges will be completely unviable," the statement adds.

"We have been asked to make our lodges exclusively available for temporary NHS staff accommodation purposes for this and future winter periods. If Condition 12 is varied to permit this use it would make up to 30 double bedrooms available for safe and secure key medical staff accommodation whilst at the same time enabling us to heat and maintain the fabric of our buildings over the winter months ahead.

"This would help to provide desperately needed winter accommodation for between 30 and perhaps 45 medical staff in the current housing crisis."

Killiow would like the existing holiday use restriction to remain in place as "that is good for tourism in Cornwall and, numbers permitting, potentially helpful for Killiow Estate and the preservation of its listed assets".

The application is awaiting a decision.