Introduction

A shortage of housing stock is driving prices up – and driving people out of their own communities.

There are many causal factors. It began with the ‘Right to Buy’ programme in the 1980s which saw 2,500 Council houses in North Devon alone move into private ownership. Yet the promised like-for-like replacements did not keep pace.

Since then, as well as reduced building rates (exacerbated by recent economic, resourcing and supply chain issues along with the pandemic) we’ve seen restricted lending, labour and materials shortages, and a diversion of rental stock to holiday lets and second homes.

The resulting lack of availability has pushed average house prices in North Devon to 15 times the average wage – amongst the highest ratios in England.

In response, more than 17,000 applicants across Devon (3,000 in North Devon) are now listed with Devon Home Choice, the county’s central Affordable Housing waiting list.

What is Affordable Housing?

These are homes which are provided at below-market rental or sales prices through the local Council’s formal housing process and registered agents.

There are a variety of schemes including:

Rental

• Social Rent: homes let at below-market rates determined by the National Rent Regime.
• Affordable Rent: let at 80% of local market rate.

Ownership

• Intermediate/Shared Ownership: a shared equity scheme that helps residents step onto the housing ladder by simultaneously buying part of their home and renting the remainder (usually at below-market rates).
  • Repair and maintenance is covered by the provider for the first 10 years on newer scheme homes; for those built before 2022, repairs are the responsibility of the home owner.
• Rent to Buy: homes let to working households at a sub-80% market rent for at least five years, giving residents the opportunity to save a deposit or purchase earlier via Shared Ownership.
• First Homes: sold outright to first-time buyers – typically with a mortgage – at a discount of at least 30% below open market rate, capped at £250,000.

An unsustainable situation

It has been proven that communities will only remain strong and sustainable when there is a sufficient variety of housing types, tenures and sizes to meet future local need, including the right mix of Affordable Rented, Shared Ownership and Open Market homes to help the community thrive.

Today only around 8% of North Devon’s accommodation is Affordable Housing, compared to 15% nationally. Various types of organisations in North Devon are working hard to restore the balance through a range of complementary housing solutions.

These include:

Housing Associations

These private, not-for-profit organisations build and manage Affordable Homes and typically have charitable status. They receive public funding and are closely regulated by both the Regulator of Social Housing and the Charity Commission.

Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing stock and to help finance the construction or purchase of new homes. Accordingly, they have become the UK’s biggest provider of new housing for Social or Affordable Rent, and many also run Shared Ownership schemes.

Barnstaple-based North Devon Homes (NDH) is a leading Registered Provider of Social Housing in North Devon, with 160 employees and over 3,300 Affordable/Social properties as well as a range of Shared Ownership, leasehold and commercial properties, including special support for North Devon’s growing population of elderly households.

In 2015, it established a 100%-owned property development subsidiary, Anchorwood Ltd. Its sole purpose is to use the local housing market to offer unique, ethical housing solutions, by using the profit from any homes sold to provide more Affordable Housing in the area.

In this way, funding for 100 Social Homes has been raised to date for the benefit of local people and communities in North Devon.

Community Land Trusts

These initiatives are typically established by members of the public who want to provide homes at socially affordable rents to people with a connection to their community.

Assisted variously by Planning Authorities, Housing Associations and planning consultants, CLTs take a project from planning to development and through long-term stewardship to ensure the homes remain genuinely affordable for local people, do not become eligible for ‘Right to Buy’ and remain perpetually available for Social Rental purposes.

Local CLTs include:

• Braunton CLT: up to 25 dwellings
• Georgeham CLT: 18 dwellings
• Mortehoe & Woolacombe CLT: 21 dwellings

Developers

Open Market residential projects are a vital, enabling part of the solution – as long as the required contribution of Affordable Housing is delivered.

It requires on average at least £110,000 of subsidy to provide an Affordable Home to a Registered Provider at a price they can afford based on received rental income. This funding or equivalent stock is in part provided through the Section 106 (S106) mechanism by which the Local Planning Authority typically secures community contributions from developers as a condition of their planning consent.

North Devon Council’s policy is for 30% of consented new developments to be Affordable Housing. However, because the planning and development timeframe can take several years, the practical delivery of the agreed Affordable Housing quota can sometimes be impacted if technical or market issues arise (such as construction problems or inflation).

In order to avoid the potential erosion of the Affordable Housing component of a development, it is important to first select a developable site with fewer risk elements and sufficient potential value to subsidise the Affordable Homes.

The Promoter/Developer can seek to establish the credentials of a site’s ability to provide Affordable Housing well before making a planning application. It is also preferable that they identify the Affordable Housing provider from the outset rather than as an afterthought.

The provisions should be secured through the legally-binding S106 Agreement, to also include a phased delivery of the development to ensure that the Affordable Houses are not left until the end of the project.

North Devon Homes and Wessex Strategic have jointly submitted a planning application for land off Woolacombe Station Road which they believe will, together with the CLT project in Woolacombe, help to meet the long-term and wide-ranging housing needs of the local community.

The story so far

The initial plans promoted in Autumn 2020 proposed:

• 95 dwellings (30% affordable, per Council policy) including bungalows and family homes.
• Seasonal worker accommodation (72 beds).
• Local shop (250m2) with 14 parking bays.
• Landscape-led design sensitive to the AONB setting.
• Large open meadow with gains for residents, neighbours and wildlife (10% biodiversity net gain).

Feedback

Feedback from the community consultation included:

POINTS OF SUPPORT

• Strong local need for more houses of all types, enabling locals to stay local.
• Significant need for Affordable Houses.
• Good location given lack of space in villages.
• Convenient gateway location.
• Quality design and masterplan.
• Sensitive approach to landscaping and wildlife.

POINTS OF QUERY OR CONCERN

• No need for any new houses in the area.
• Doubt delivery of Affordable Homes.
• No sustainable links to local amenities.
• Increased traffic.
• Capacity of local services especially sewerage.
• Flood risk.
• Impact on AONB.

Design Review Panel

The plans were also reviewed by the Design Review Panel (DRP), an independent panel of experts in design, landscaping and other relevant fields.

They reported that, subject to recommended updates, they were ‘supportive of the presented aspirations for the site and design approach…in relation to landscape and visual issues.’

Their suggestions relating to the design of the scheme’s frontage, entrance, pedestrian and cycle connectivity and internal roads were addressed in subsequent designs for the site.

Revised proposals

In response to this feedback the applicants revisited and revised the plans before submitting a planning application with:

• The shop and workers’ accommodation removed.
• 10 additional units and 20% more Affordable Homes.
• Additional landscape design work to further address any visual impact and increase biodiversity gains (see Landscape Strategy board).
• Conditions of consent that the Affordable Housing provider (NDH) will be contracted before any Open Market housing developer, and that Affordable Housing provisions will be secured under a Section 106 Agreement. This is significant because:
  • It will ensure that the Affordable Housing quota is delivered in full and cannot be eroded by a viability assessment submitted subsequently by a third-party developer.
  • Revenues generated by North Devon Homes will be re-invested in Affordable Housing in North Devon.

In March 2023, NDH and Wessex Strategic submitted an Outline Planning Application for:

• 105 units, including 52 Affordable Homes (50%), with a tenure mix designed to reflect local needs and comply with the requirements of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan.
• Landscape-led design sensitive to the AONB setting, with built form over just 53% of the site.
• Extensive open park and meadowland for neighbours and the wider community to enjoy.
• Significant biodiversity net gains (see Landscape Strategy board).
• Improved and extended pedestrian/cycle links (see Access & Movement board).

The submitted documents provide full details of the site layout and access arrangements, including siting of all dwellings, road access and pedestrian links, pumping station, SuDS (drainage) basins, public open space, structural tree planting / tree lines, biodiversity features and wildlife corridors, plus all associated development.

If consented, the appearance, scale and landscaping aspects of the development will be considered through a follow-up Reserved Matters planning application.

Massing

Individual developments cannot meet current needs alone. We believe these sensitive proposals are a vital part of the solution to the local housing shortfall, and will support the year-round prosperity of Woolacombe and Mortehoe.

The proposed size provides the critical mass required to deliver and maintain the proposed number of Affordable Homes.

Affordable housing

50% of the total units are proposed to be Affordable. The tenure mix of these will reflect local needs and will include compliance with the provisions of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan.

If consented, these will be secured in perpetuity for the community through a legal Section 106 Agreement and managed through the local Council’s formal housing process and registered agents.

The Affordable Homes will be scattered throughout the development and ‘tenure-blind’, i.e. visually indistinguishable from the Open Market houses.

All dwellings will be designed to comply with the most recent building regulations so will out-perform the majority of the local housing stock in terms of energy performance.

North Devon Homes has a strong track record of actively managing and investing in its estates post-delivery, both in terms of ensuring compliance with tenancy agreements and ongoing maintenance of its dwellings, gardens and shared areas.

Scale

Most of the proposed buildings are two-storey, reflecting local structures. However, there are bungalows close to the site boundaries to avoid any overlooking of existing properties or their gardens.

High standards

The proposed scheme will meet Building for a Healthy Life requirements and Future Homes Standards.

Layout and Building Design principles include:

• A fabric-first approach to carbon reduction.
• Laying out of dwellings, key rooms and roofs to make the best use of the south-facing slopes and solar orientation.
• Flexibility in the internal room layouts and structures – to enable potential roof conversion and consideration of Lifetime Homes provision, for example.
• Consideration of appropriate renewable technologies, including a combination of air-source or ground-source heat pumps, solar PV panels and battery storage.
• Provision of EV charging and bike storage for all dwellings, and consideration of car share and bike share facilities.
• Incorporation of hedgehog highways; vertebrate passes; nest, bat, bird and insect boxes and bricks within the houses, garages and boundary walls/fences.
• Use of modern methods of construction, including off-site manufacture, to ensure high build quality and to minimise waste.

Below is an indicative mix demonstrating the number of each dwelling type to be applied across the site.

A Transport Assessment and Travel Plan have been submitted with the planning application, along with an Access and Movement Strategy which includes:

• Vehicular access off Woolacombe Station Road, designed in line with national standards that:
  • Is in the form of a priority junction including a ghost island east of the existing private access to achieve the appropriate staggered arrangement.
  • Has a visibility splay of 2.4m x 43.0m.
• Internal roads designed for a 20mph maximum speed limit to benefit both pedestrians and cyclists.
• 2.0m-wide footways within the site, with associated informal dropped-kerb crossing points and tactile paving for pedestrians.

Sustainable access to local amenities

The site is in a sustainable location with easy access to local amenities, villages and towns via the existing bus routes, National Cycle Network (Sustrans Route 278) and pedestrian routes – including Public Right of Way (PRoW) No. 11 which runs east-west across the southern section of the site.

To encourage active travel to/from the site proposed are:

• Enhancement of PRoW No. 11 and full incorporation within the masterplan.
• A new pedestrian/cycle link to Mortehoe Station Road, using the existing hedge break but with a wider visibility splay of 1.5m x 43.0m to facilitate safety. This will provide a direct route to Sustrans Route 278, PRoW No. 11 and beyond.
• A north-south link within the site of adoptable standard to enable it to be integrated into the formal footpath network in future.
• Informal hoggin or mown paths throughout.

Artist’s impression of proposed access off Woolacombe Station Road

AONB setting

AONB designation does not preclude development: indeed, all developments in Woolacombe and Mortehoe are in the AONB. Instead, the appropriate planning consideration is whether the scheme would have an unacceptable impact on the AONB.

Along three of its sides, the proposed site is bound by the area’s principal roads and a mixture of residential and commercial development which means this scheme will not break into open countryside.

Accordingly, an in-depth Landscape Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) concluded that the proposed development will not harm the AONB.

Landscape strategy

Our submitted Landscape Strategy includes:

• Leaving 47% of the site free of built form.
• A large, species-rich meadow at the heart of the scheme, edged with English oak trees:
  • Creating a strong physical and visual link to the wider landscape.
  • Managed to enrich habitats and optimise biodiversity gains.
• An attractive network of green spaces and surface water attenuation features.
• Enhanced and additional hedgebanks and woodland along boundaries and throughout, to include new edible fruit and nut species. This will provide strong wildlife corridors and enrich habitats as well as create buffers between the new and existing developments.
• New and improved walking and cycling routes.
• A play space and informal mown paths.

All this will achieve a significant biodiversity net gain:

• 23% in habitat units.
• 238% in hedgerow units.

The DRP was supportive of the ‘central green’ concept, saw the design as sensitive to the local landscape character and welcomed the protection of the skyline and preservation of the openness through the central green space.

Management

The site will be managed over the long term for the benefit of wildlife as well as the enjoyment of residents. This will be assured by the securing of a single, consistent management organisation through a Section 106 Agreement.

The site is in Flood Zone 1, and at low risk of fluvial, tidal and surface water flooding. However, we understand the concerns that come with a new development and have submitted a detailed Flood Risk Assessment and Foul & Surface Water Drainage Strategy.

Key points include:

• Proposed use of soakaways where possible for surface water drainage, to reduce impacts on the existing drainage network.
• Provision of attenuation basins incorporated into the landscape scheme in order to limit flows from the development to existing conditions.

Direct

• 105 much-needed homes to support the community year-round and meet a variety of living needs, including 50% Affordable.
• Substantial developer contributions to services including health and education.
• Extension of sustainable links.
• Significant biodiversity net gain on site far exceeding the 10% policy requirement at:
  • 23% in habitat units.
  • 238% in hedgerow units.
• New amenity space accessible by all.

Indirect

Many associated benefits will also come from the development. Research commissioned by the Rural Services Network with CPRE shows that for every 10 new rural homes there is a £1.4m boost to disadvantaged local economies through the:

• Creation of 9 full time construction jobs.
• Support for 26 jobs in the wider economic system.
• Generation of £250,000 in new tax receipts.

In addition:

• Revenues generated by North Devon Homes will be re-invested in Affordable Housing in North Devon.
• A programme of building affordable rural homes will improve public finances over 30 years by the equivalent of £54,000 per house in today’s money, even after taking into account the cost of construction and land acquisition.