Devon Housing Investment Prospectus

Foreword

Devon and Torbay is a growing, £26bn economy, home to over 900,000 people and 43,000 businesses . Our innovative businesses, education providers, and research institutions play a vital role in tackling national and global challenges and embrace opportunities with the highest concentration of climate change scientists, clean energy generation, high tech agriculture and nature restoration to our defence, technology and professional services.

We are renowned for breathtaking landscapes, world class food and drink, and a cultural offer that together attracts 30 million visitors a year and an inflow of skilled people, drawn by the fact that Devon and Torbay both provide a great place to live and a strong economy, full of opportunities.

We need more of the right type of housing in the right places to support these thriving sectors, and to support further investment in the region.

We are ready to work with partners who share our ambitious vision for housing investment across Devon and Torbay.

Water lane, Exeter

Water Lane is a 32ha strategic brownfield mixed use regeneration site located on the waterside in the heart of Exeter.

The site will deliver 2,200 homes, alongside a new primary school and community green space, sustainable travel improvements, low-carbon infrastructure, flood mitigation, and connections to a district heat network.

This site is allocated for development and will be carried forward into the new local plan. Parts of the site, providing 1,300 homes, already have resolution to grant planning status.

The site has strong transport links with easy access to the M5, the A38 and the A30. There is also a new railway station adjacent to the site at Marsh Barton. As well as being in an attractive waterside location close to the city centre, Water Lane also provides great links to employment; Marsh Barton and Matford are within easy reach, and are the largest employment area in Exeter.

Key details:

• District: Exeter
• Capacity: 2,200 homes
• Home type: Houses, flats, build-to-rent, purpose built student accommodation, co-living and extra care housing
• Other opportunities: Mixed use commercial space
• Status: Seeking investment for a range of parcels
• Investment required: £75 million
• Delivery timeline: Estimated start on site in 2026

Contact: ian.collinson@exeter.gov.uk

Bradley Lane, Teignbridge

Bradley lane is a cleared and remediated site totalling 5.6 acres in Newton Abbot, near the River Lemon in South Devon.

The site looks to deliver 100 one to four bedroom homes only a short walk from the town centre. Situated near an extensive range of leisure and shopping facilities, it is a desirable location for those looking to live near all amenities.

The Bradley lane area will perform an important role in providing enhanced employment opportunities close to Newton Abbot town centre, reducing the need to travel and boosting the daytime population in the area.

This site is allocated in the Local Plan but has no current planning permission.

Bradley lane has good transport links with easy access to the A38, and also to local bus and train services via a relatively flat route.

Key details:

• District: Teignbridge
• Capacity: 100 homes
• Home type: Houses (1-4 bedrooms) and extra care scheme
• Other opportunities: Different delivery and ownership models can be explored
• Status: Seeking delivery partner

Union Square, Torquay

Union Square is a design that meets local needs by creating a future-ready town centre hub, including a mix or residential and commercial units and health related facilities.

This project aims to reshape the town centre, introducing a mixed use scheme ensuring a vibrant and sustainable future. It is a prime opportunity to provide much-needed affordable housing for both sale and rent, addressing a critical community need.

The site boasts excellent bus and public transport links, ensuring easy accessibility. The A380 and the A385 are the main routes out of Torquay and link into the A38 Devon

Expressway.

Public consultation has shown overwhelming support from the community for the redevelopment plans. Torbay Council has submitted a planning application, with a decision expected in summer 2025, and has already begun acquiring properties.

Key details:

• District: Torbay
• Capacity: 100 homes
• Home type: Flats / apartments
• Other opportunities: Mixed use commercial space and a healthcare facility and provisions
• Status: Seeking investment, planning permission decision is expected imminently

Healthy Homes, Ilfracombe

Healthy Homes includes two sites. One site includes two properties in Oxford Grove, and the other is the Old Royal Mail building on the high street in Ilfracombe.

Oxford Grove will be turned into six one bedroom apartments. The Royal Mail building will become eight units of accommodation over three floors.

This development programme will demonstrate the types of buildings that can be repurposed and make a real difference to the community.

These sites are right in the town centre, surrounded by a mix of independent shops, cafes and leisure businesses.

Ilfracombe has good transport links with regular buses and trains to Exeter, Barnstaple, Combe Martin and surrounding towns, and only 30 minutes on from the end of the North Devon link road.

Key details:

• District: North Devon
• Capacity: 14 homes
• Home type: Apartments and commercial space
• Other opportunities: A reconfigured ground floor and basement space for commercial use
• Status: Seeking delivery partner
• Delivery timeline: Estimated start on site March 2026
• Scheme cost: £2.7m

South Hams

The South Hams housing offer puts rural communities at the heart of the solution by bringing together parties interested in providing rural housing. This includes land owners providing land at sub commercial values, community leadership through Community Land Trusts, exceptions planning policy, and local authority resources combined with expert Housing Association development partners.

This programme has identified six sites to date, which could deliver around 100 homes and is entirely replicable and scalable across the region.

The sites are at different stages of planning. The resource commitment from the local authority is sustainable, and captured as a central pillar of the corporate strategy in the South Hams. Its success is underpinned by willing communities wishing to lead their own journey, sustaining thriving communities, leveraging the local authorities place shaping expertise and place the development challenges with the partners they can trust – the local housing authorities.

Key details:

• District: South Hams
• Capacity: 100 homes
• Home type: Flats and houses
• Other opportunities: Dedicated affordable housing planner to support on any affordable led scheme
• Status: Seeking investment

Contact: tom.morris@swdevon.gov.uk

Torridge

The site between Rydon Road and Trewyn Road, lying on the north-western edge of the market town of Holsworthy covers an area of approximately 10 ha (25 acres). This site makes up the vast majority of the land allocated in the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan under Policy HOL03.

The design has been led by a landscape approach that allows the residential development to sit within generous areas of community green open spaces. Due to the size of the site, it is anticipated that only 50% of the land area would be developed, creating a landscape led scheme that reflects the existing rural character of the town and this countryside edge setting.

The new green recreational spaces will benefit both residents and the wider local community. These open spaces will include habitat enhancement and attenuation features. A surface water attenuation pond to the west will form part of a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) that serves the site. There is potential for a new public right of way to be incorporated creating a woodland / waterside walk following the River Deer through the western edge of the site.

Key details:

• District: Torridge
• Capacity: 195 homes
• Home type: 1 to 4 bedroom houses
• Affordable homes: 30% of the site
• Other benefits: Strategic highway benefits
• Status: Seeking investment

Contact: justin@westcountryland.com or helen.smith@torridge.gov.uk

Marlcombe, East Devon

Marlcombe is a proposed new community in East Devon, forming a key part of the emerging Local Plan (2020–2042). Located to the east of Exeter on a 499-hectare site, Marlcombe will deliver up to 8,000 new homes with long-term capacity to increase this to 10,000 alongside employment land, community infrastructure, and a connected network of transport and green spaces.

The site is located approximately 7 km east of Exeter City Centre, between the A30 and A3052, and less than 500 metres from Exeter Airport. It sits near Exeter Science Park and key employment centres.

The community will benefit from strong transport links to Cranbrook, including shared facilities and a rail connection to Exeter and beyond. Active travel routes will connect west to Clyst St Mary and Exeter, and south along the Exe Estuary to Exmouth.

Key details:

• District: East Devon
• Capacity: 8,000 homes
• Home type: A range of tenures and sizes
• Other opportunities: Employment space, park and ride facilities, material recycling facilities, and more
• Status: Seeking investment

Contact: new-town@eastdevon.gov.uk

Mid Devon

Partnering with Zedpods Ltd, Mid Devon are working towards building quality, zero-carbon, and cost-effective homes using modern methods of construction.

By using offsite construction methods, disruption to the local area is limited in contrast to traditional builds. Once the development site is ready, the completed properties are craned in and, depending on the location, modular houses can be placed on-site in just 2 to 3 days.

The award-winning scheme has many sites in the pipeline, at varying stages of planning.

Key details:

• District: Mid Devon
• Capacity: Multiple homes
• Home type: Flats and houses
• Status: Seeking new sites

Contact: commercial@middevon.gov.uk