Minister visits affordable housing site on Dartmoor

Mel Stride MP visited the site for six new affordable homes in South Tawton recently.

The central Devon MP toured the site with Sue Chalkley, chief executive of Hastoe Housing Association, which is developing the mix of one, two and three bed houses. The six homes – set to be completed later this year – will be let at affordable rents to families from the local area. They are built to the prestigious ‘AECB Silver standard’ in energy efficiency, saving future tenants hundreds of pounds in fuel bills every year.

Joining the tour were South Tawton Parish councillors, Dartmoor officials and local landowner Lawrence Jones, whose generosity in releasing the land on the edge of South Tawton allowed the new homes to be built. The scheme was supported by grants from Homes England and West Devon Borough Council.

Mr Stride said: ‘It was really good to be shown round such an important new development which will help families from the village and surrounding area afford to stay in the community they have grown up in. With averages wages in Devon below the national average but average house prices higher than the national average, more needs to be done to help families rent and buy affordable homes and this will be a fantastic asset for South Tawton for generations to come. Everyone who worked so hard to make this happen should be very proud.’

Sue Chalkley said: ‘This development will provide affordable homes for local people forever in South Tawton. It’s crucial to helping the village remain available for young families.

Chris Hart, acting head of planning, Dartmoor National Park, said: ‘We need quality, well-designed homes like these on Dartmoor to help keep our communities alive. This is a great example of a partnership approach to delivering affordable houses for local people.’