Bigbury Community Website

Potential affordable housing sites in Bigbury – A South Hams Society analysis
Having obtained various views from others we have the following comments.
First although the provision of affordable houses is very desirable we are surprised that so many are required in locations distant from any major centre of employment. In view of oil prices and climate change it is important especially for affordables to avoid commuting any distance despite the attraction of the location.
Another surprising thing is the housing mix – 21 units with 1 or 2 bedrooms and only 3 with 3 bedrooms. Although affordable housing tends to have greater numbers of 2 bedroom houses than open market housing – partly for cost reasons and partly because they have a higher proportion of young people – this is quite outside the normal mix where a significant proportion of 3 bedroom houses are included. See for example the Charnwood, Malborough or Rowes Farm Stoke Gabriel.
But we must assume that DCC have assessed the housing needs correctly.
The next question is whether all the 24 are to be built on the same site. Large housing contractors such as Midas will emphasise the cost advantages of this but from every other viewpoint it is better and more flexible to build smaller numbers on 2 or more sites and to spread out the building over the years. This enables local builders to be used which keeps the financial gains within the community. The distinct possibility that existing estimates and plans may require changes in the future are also better served
Integration into the existing settlement and avoiding impact on the AONB landscape is a universal requirement and tends to dominate most thoughts. However this is not to be judged solely from the view presented by the map as the third dimension of the contours is an important factor in the landscape. From this point of view the sites in St Anne’s Chapel would be preferred, particularly D Hext. But the road junction in St Anne’s Chapel is awkward and access to the site should not complicate it. Of the sites in Bigbury the HSC sites seem best.
The planners maintained the requirement of a school and a shop for all their rural housing sites in the Site Allocations DPD but it was clear to us that many other villages without either would have welcomed a small number of affordable houses. W Alvington for example wanted 12.
Summarising we suggest that you split the houses between D Hext site in St Anne’s Chapel and the HSC sites in Bigbury with the majority going to St Anne’s Chapel which also has the slight advantage of being nearer the major road network.
John Chalmers, Chairman SHS
(6th September 2011)

I agree with Gilbert about the need to remove uncertainty about the location of any affordable housing ASAP but it is a decision requiring input from several sources over which there is no direct control by the parish e.g SHDC, Devon Highways. Personally, I am keen to see the current momentum maintained. None of these issues raised by Gilbert (apart from transport/ access) affect the decision about the location. As for the composition of the housing mix and the identity of the developers, we are at a very early stage of the project so these questions must remain unanswered; obviously the final make-up needs to be a financially viable proposition for the builder and management company.

A couple of other points: 1) it is a fairly safe bet in the current economic climate that no improvements in public transport will be made to cater for any extra needs generated by new housing; 2) the Community Council of Devon has wide experience of assessing housing needs in communites around the South Hams. If suitable housing is available, another safe bet is that demand will be stimulated despite the apparent lack of local employment opportunities – call it social engineering for a sustainable community, if you like!