Most areas well short of housebuilding needs
Most of Devon is going to be short of housing according to new figures published on Tuesday.
Although it doesn't set firm targets, the government gives councils advice on the number of new houses it should be building - and on average Exeter, East and Mid Devon, Teignbridge and Torbay all miss them.
At a time when local authorities are committing to easing homelessness, the figures show housing supply is going to be get more problematic in Devon in the future. Exeter built around two-thirds of the homes the government thinks it should have done over the last 10 years (66 per cent), while Teignbridge and Mid Devon did only slightly better at 69 per cent.
North Devon’s exceeding new housing demand by 11 per cent. But Torbay’s the area storing up problems, which some say are becoming more visible, with too many people living on the streets. It’s built just over half the new houses it needs (58 per cent), and hasn’t yet got back to the numbers it achieved before the financial crash ten years ago.
Exeter faces a particular problem, in that there is very little available land available for development. It's working closely with Teignbridge, East and Mid Devon on planning issues across an area that is becoming known as Greater Exeter.
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