Under-delivering on social housing in Devon
A senior Devon councillor has blasted her own local authority for failing to do enough to tackle the housing crisis. Karen Kennedy accused the council of “under-delivering” on social housing for a decade, and warned that key workers are now unable to afford to live in Torbay due to rising house prices and rents outpacing wages.
30 of the 101 new homes to be for social housing
Cllr Kennedy criticised the authority for only coming up with the minimum number of affordable homes in its planning application for a new estate on council-owned fields near Paignton. Plans put forward by the council’s company TDA for the land at Preston Down Road are for 30 of the 101 new homes to be for social housing.
That is in line with the authority’s policy for new developments on ‘greenfield’ sites of 30 per cent. But Cllr Kennedy said the council has the power to do much more by increasing the number of affordable homes in the development on land it owns. She added: “We have to say this loud and clear – we are in a housing crisis. We have got to do much more than the basic minimum to alleviate the current problem.”
Torbay is the most deprived area in Devon with only half the national average of social housing. One in four households rent privately and an estimated one in four children is living in poverty. The latest figures show more than 1,500 people are on the waiting list for a home.
Working on a series of measures to provide hundreds more homes
Tackling poverty was one of declared aims of the partnership of Liberal Democrats and Independents which took control of the council in 2019, and that year it published a strategy which acknowledged the area was in a housing crisis. The council says it is working on a series of measures to provide hundreds more homes, including developing social housing schemes through its housing company.
Only 11 of the 254 new homes will be classed as affordable
Cllr Kennedy said the council, previously run by an elected mayor with a Conservative majority of councillors, had been “under-delivering” on affordable homes over many years. She cited one example of a 2013 agreement with the developer of Devonshire Park, in Paignton. Only 11 of the 254 new homes will be classed as affordable due to the cost of developing the ‘brownfield’ former Nortel factory site. That works out a 4 per cent, way below the policy of 20 per cent for that type of housing development.
The developers say the cost of clearing the industrial site means it is not viable to build more which they have to sell to social housing providers for less than the open market value.
Cllr Kennedy is an Independent councillor for Churston with Galmpton and a member of Torbay Council’s planning committee. She said she is speaking out publicly because the issue is so important, even though it means she will probably have to not take part in the debate or vote when the Preston Down Road application comes before the committee.
Torbay suffering from the lack of affordable rented homes
The councillor said Torbay was already suffering from the lack of affordable rented homes, which meant it was finding it harder to attract people to lower-paid jobs such as in tourism and healthcare. But both sectors are seen by the council as key to economic development.
She said: “We all know we are in a housing crisis. Torbay Council is struggling to recruit staff to blue collar jobs. Other employers are finding it difficult to find people for jobs in hospitality and the NHS. They can’t afford to live here because of the increase in the past in house prices and rents. They are getting to the stage where they cannot afford to buy here, or rent here – that is your key workers.”
The councillor added: “The whole record of Torbay Council over 10 years or more in building affordable houses has been particularly bad, and this is not helping us now. The fact is, we need to build affordable homes, and where we have got a good chance to do that, where we own the land, with our own company, we are not doing that.”
Torbay Council remain committed to supporting communities
Torbay Council said in a statement: “Torbay Council remain committed to supporting communities to prosper and thrive. Planning Officers are continuing to seek to negotiate the best possible mix of differing tenure accommodation on the site at Preston Down Road and ensure it provides for the needs of the community now and in the future.”
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