Devon council-built affordable homes a 'generation first'

The mother and daughter had been commuting from Cornwall

A mother and daughter said their affordable-rent home in a Devon area known for its expensive properties was the "best Christmas present ever".

Kathy and Lily Hutchings' new house is in the South Hams area of St Ann's Chapel, Bigbury.

Priced out of the rental market, the pair said they had been commuting to their hospitality jobs from Cornwall.

South Hams District Council described building its own affordable homes as a "generation first".

The new affordable housing in St Ann's Chapel has three homes to be sold on the open market

It said the eight rental homes on the Saint Ann's Chapel site, along with three to be sold on the open market, would "help tackle the housing crisis", amid hopes other landowners would consider following suit.

Mrs Hutchings said she and her daughter had been looking at two-bed homes for £800 "and upwards".

Being able to live affordably in St Ann's Chapel had brought "a few tears", she said, adding: "We've watched them being built, we travel past every day for work."

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), an average two-bed house rental in the South Hams in March this year was £775.

Meanwhile, the average price for a semi-detached property in the South Hams was £415,000 in September 2023, according to the ONS.

There are eight rental properties on the site

There were 800 people on the South Hams waiting list for homes and a report this month from Citizens Advice and the University of Plymouth found the gap between average rents and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) had reached 12%.

Carole Hext, who provided the land for the development, said: "I think it's really good, it gives people a chance to live in the countryside.

"They have the shop, the pub, the beach, wonderful walks, they've got everything here... so I'm pleased."

Councillor Julian Brazil hopes other landowners will want to give something back

Planning for the site was approved six years ago - and Julian Brazil, South Hams District Council leader, said he hoped it would be the first of many.

He added: "Hopefully... other landowners will think actually I want to give something back to my community, maybe I can get some houses in my local village or my local area."