Rural Housing

Affordable eco homes planned for Thurlestone

Eco houses in Thurlestone now complete and occupied.

The scheme provided four new three-bedroom homes on former council-owned land at Parkfield. The innovative new homes are for local people with a housing need to rent at 80% of local market rents. The houses constructed to Level Five of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This standard requires buildings to be twice as efficient at conserving energy as an average house. South Hams District councillor for Dartmouth and Kingswear district, Jonathan Hawkins, said: “This is an exciting project to provide local people with sustainable homes, one of our key priorities. It is particularly welcome in such a rural community that suffers from lack of affordable homes.” Steve Prime, CEO of South Devon Rural Housing Association who will be managing the build, said: “This is a very important development for the Association. We have long held the view that sustainable affordable housing can be developed in rural locations, not as an experiment but as a template which can be replicated.” Rod Hewett, Chairman of South Devon Rural Housing Association, added: “As a small local housing association it demonstrates our ability to deliver innovative solutions for local people in rural areas. This development takes a huge step forward in proving that this does not need to be a one off. Our tenants will benefit from high quality homes and extremely low energy costs. This could not have happened without the support the Association received from South Hams District Council.”

The Association is working on a 'Rural Masterplan' which combines small sensitively designed affordable housing, along with allotments, community orchards and amenity areas where land (and planners) allow.

The Rural Housing 'Master Plan'

Here at South Devon Rural Housing we are keen to demonstrate our desire to develop housing sensitively in the villages of South Devon. We believe it is not enough just to develop housing in isolation. We also believe that even in the smallest of villages, some social and low cost housing is needed, to both support any existing social or low cost housing and to maintain the viability of small villages and settlements. In some villages where we are able to procure land and obtain the necessary planning, we would like to offer allotments, amenity areas and orchards to aid sustainability. Follow the link below to see a typical Master Plan.

Rural Master Plan

We are interested in our residents views on what South Devon Rural Housing Association should be doing to promote community development in the area in which they live or generally in the South Hams. Challenge us, give us your views on what we can do or how you think we can help community groups. During 2011 we have again set aside £2,000 to help deliver community initiatives. There is no form to fill in, just write to us at the address below with your ideas and how much it may cost and we will do the rest. We give priority to ideas that embrace community cohesion or improve recycling and ecology. 

South Devon House
Babbage Road
Totnes
TQ9 5JA

or e-mail us at info@southdevonrural.com