Housing strategy

Our Housing Strategy sets out a clear direction, for the next five years, to offer more housing with more choice by developing new homes and improving existing homes and communities. There is a particular focus on affordable and social rent properties alongside a strong commitment to having low-carbon, accessible and adaptable homes. This means we can support our most vulnerable residents to access and maintain good quality housing which meets their needs. This will help our hamlets, villages and towns to be sustainable in the longer term and contribute to the district’s prosperity and wellbeing.

This strategy sets out Mid Devon District Council’s considered housing plans and actions for the period 2021-2025 and builds upon our previous housing strategy in which we have made significant progress in addressing our key housing issues.

The following are some of the key achievements since 2015:

• Directly provided more than 40 new social rent homes to our stock of council housing
• The opening of our new, award nominated Turner Rise scheme of 26 properties in Tiverton (2020 South West LABC Building Excellence Award in the Best New Small Social or Affordable Housing Development category)
• Currently commissioning a major new scheme for 70 new affordable homes at Post Hill Tiverton which will also be part of our Council Housing stock
• Commissioned innovative net carbon zero modular ‘Zed Pods’ social rent schemes in Cullompton and Tiverton
• Successful national Culm Garden Village expression of interest has led to a long-term plan to deliver up to 5,000 sustainable new homes alongside key facilities, infrastructure and a country park
• The planning system has been used effectively with an additional 418 affordable homes
• Brought more than 500 empty homes back into use assisted more than 290 disabled residents to continue to live in their own homes with Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)
• Met Decent Homes Standard across our entire Council Housing Stock (around
  3,000 homes)
• Fully refurbished Ivor Macey House as a specialist temporary accommodation unit
• Produced a new Homeless Prevention & Rough Sleeping
  Strategy 2020-2025
• Provided hundreds of ‘Lifeline’ community alarms to help households to continue living independently in their own homes.

Our new, proposed, strategy is divided into four chapters which expand upon each of our key housing priorities. All priorities have equal weighting; each impacts on the other and much of the work around these priorities will necessarily be overlapping and interdependent.

  Strategic Housing Priority 1: Housing - increase delivery of quality designed, well-built homes across the housing market to meet identified needs

  Strategic Housing Priority 2: Optimise - existing housing - fit for purpose healthy, sustainable, adaptable homes optimised for high energy efficiency and low carbon impact

  Strategic Housing Priority 3: Make - making the most of our existing homes across private and public sector in all forms of tenure

  Strategic Housing Priority 4: Engage - engaging and working with others including partner organisations to deliver our aims