Councils set for row over new home allocations

ROW over how many homes a Devon council thinks it can build is brewing because of fears it might try to push extra housing into other areas.

- BRADLEY GERRARD Local Democracy Reporter

Westminster has set every council in England an annual number of homes it wants them to build, but Torbay is preparing to fight that number because it thinks it is too high.

There are now concerns from other parts of Devon, though, that this approach by Torbay might lead to other councils having to take on even more housebuilding.

East Devon District Council is bringing the issue to one of its most significant committees to discuss fears that the council could end up being forced to take on extra homes that Torbay says it can't deliver.

In its draft local plan, which will outline the places where homes and businesses can be developed, Torbay states that housing numbers are a “sub-regional matter that needs to be resolved in cooperation with wider Devon authorities”.