Plans for 15,000 new homes in Teignbridge

Residents to be asked exactly where

More than 100 sites across Teignbridge have been identified as places for new more than 7,000 new houses - in addition to 8,000 already planned.

The new Teignbridge Local Plan for development up to 2040 could shortly go into an eight-week public consultation period. As well as housing, it also considers employment land, secondary schools and renewable energy provision.

The majority of sites identified are around towns in the district, with the aim to minimise the need for car travel. Some small development sites are in villages where they would help support existing local rural businesses and services.

The housing requirement for the plan is 15,020 homes – at an average of 751 a year for the next 20 years – but just over 8,000 homes already allocated in the existing plan homes, so a further 7,272 homes in the new Local Plan need to be found.

The Heart of Teignbridge area around Newton Abbot has provisionally been allocated for 2,920 homes, with the edge of Exeter for a further 1,800 homes, around 1,000 homes in Dawlish, 100 homes in Teignmouth, 250 homes in Bovey Tracey, 250 homes in Ashburton, and 960 homes in the villages. Chudleigh, Bickington, Ide and Shaldon however will not see any sites allocated as nowhere suitable came forward during the call for sites.

Local people will be asked to comment on their preferred options and in particular whether development would improve or exacerbate existing local issues.

Cllr Gary Taylor, executive member for planning, said: “In 2018 and again last year, Teignbridge residents contributed a huge amount of consultation feedback which did much to help us in our work to update Local Plan policies.

“We now hope local residents will help us again to determine those sites which can best accommodate the 751 homes a year we are required by the Government to build, as well as those sites better suited for business and employment.

The plan focuses most development in the largest settlements where new residents will benefit from access to healthcare, education, shops, sustainable transport links and other essential services. This will enable better social and economic wellbeing, as well as have the biggest impact on mitigating for climate change impacts.