Housing market "fundamentally broken" says West Devon chief

Could small scale rural developments be the answer?

A Devon council is trying to work around a “fundamentally broken housing market” by finding pieces of land to build small developments.

West Devon Borough Council says it is doing its best to increase the supply of new homes and has the backing of registered housing providers to build clusters of properties in rural parishes.

The council’s chief executive Andy Bates said he completely supported the ambition of the council in which 82 affordable homes were built in the last financial year, but did so amidst a broken system.

“We are papering over the cracks of a fundamentally broken housing market and unless that changes we are going to have to work around it. I believe we are doing great work in this space, but whatever we do is against the national picture.”

Councillors at a 'hub' committee heard that the biggest demand is for one-bed properties, and 17 of the 21 households currently in temporary accommodation require such a home.

The borough has a lower number of people in temporary accommodation or 'pay-by-night' accommodation than anywhere else in the county.

Head of housing Issy Blake believes the increase in the local housing allowance of £25 a week will help people on housing benefit to find rental homes, but the market is difficult and many landlords are leaving the sector.

She said the council is seeing an increase in people with more complex and mental health needs seeking accommodation.

Cllr Neil Jory (Con, Milton Ford) said the council may have to consider borrowing money to buy housing. Council leader Mandy Ewings (Ind, Tavistock South West), who is also chair of the new Devon Housing Task Force, said that focus needs to be on new homes for families and young people.

She said there is too much housing built specilifically for the over-55s in Devon.

“Society is changing and 55 is quite a low age now. We need to be looking at bringing these properties back into use for the younger people.”

She said it is frustrating that the council still didn’t know if an extra care facility of 60 units, which might release larger homes in the community for families, is going to be built in Plymouth Road, as the developer currently had two plans for the site. The other is for employment uses.

The council heard that most companies building larger scale developments are reluctant to meet the council’s targets of 30 per cent of affordable housing. Members said they should look at smaller sites with the possibility of 100 per cent affordable housing.

Cllr Mark Renders (Ind, Dartmoor), who has been successful in getting a small scheme in Princetown, said all councillors could get involved. “Smaller schemes are easier to do than bigger ones and we can provide homes for the people who need them most.

"Registered providers will support these which could be socially rented homes, we just need to find the land.”

He asked councillors to work with local landowners to find land in their parishes which could be developed.

“We are going to have to be exceptional to find a solution.” said Cllr Ewings.