Devon council sells land for £1 to tackle housing crisis

A Devon council has agreed to sell a piece of land in one of the country’s most sought-after locations for just £1 in a bid to help local families find homes.

South Hams Council is selling the parcel of land at Rope Walk in Kingsbridge to a housing association at the knock-down price to kick-start a project to build 10 homes for local people.

Seven of the homes will be for social rent while three will be for shared ownership, meaning they will help tackle what the council describes as an affordable housing ‘crisis’ in the district.

And Cllr Jacqi Hodgson (Green, Dartington and Staverton) said the council’s move could spur developers to do the same.

“The more we can deliver 100 per cent affordable homes, the more we can strong-arm developers to do the same,” she said. “If we can do it, so can they.”

Members of the council’s executive committee heard that the Hastoe Housing Association would buy the land from the council for £1 when the market value would have been around £220,000.

South Hams bought it from Devon County Council in 2016 as part of a proposed Kingsbridge Quay regeneration scheme that never happened.

An existing building on the site will cost up to £150,000 to demolish, but there are government funds that could cover the cost.

Cllr Denise O’Callaghan (Lib Dem, Kingsbridge) told the meeting: “This is a really positive thing to do.

“We talk about affordable housing, and all too often it isn’t affordable, especially in an area of high house prices, which Kingsbridge certainly is. The housing need is pressing and acute.”

And Cllr Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Stokenham) added: “This shows our commitment to using our resources towards achieving our top priority of affordable housing for local people in our area.”

Rope Walk is one of a number of current council projects to ease housing pressures. South Hams Council recently acquired three homes in St Anns Chapel and is preparing to open a new temporary accommodation unit in Kingsbridge.