Anyone keeping up with the news will have heard that there is a housing crisis in North Devon and especially in the coastal areas where tourism is a key part of the local economy. Georgeham Parish is no exception. There are families whose children have or are having to move out of the Parish as they cannot afford to live where they grew up or adult children still living with their families as they cannot afford to move out and there are no long term rentals or homes that they can afford to buy.
People living in the Parish all year round support things that contribute to a sustainable community: thriving local businesses, the school, places of worship etc and provide an employment pool for businesses and local services.
A significant proportion of the existing housing stock in the Parish has been bought up for holiday lets and second homes. The competition for the housing stock has priced existing housing beyond the means of many who live and work here. New development in the Parish in recent years has been oriented towards the commercial holiday rental and second home market. Since the Bay View Close development that provided 5 affordable homes, a few years ago now, no new homes have been built that meet the community's housing needs.
A Housing Needs Survey was conducted by Georgeham Parish Council in 2019 that evidenced the need for housing for local people that they can afford to live in.
Little has changed since then and the number of people in the Parish registered with Devon Homes Choice as having a housing need continues to support the findings of the Housing Needs Survey.
GPCLT continue to work on finalising a planning application for a mix of 19: 1, 2 and 3 bed homes that will be for social rented housing in perpetuity for people with a local connection. We will let you know when the plans are due to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority, so please watch this space.
In the meantime if you have any comments on the indicative site plan, which can be found on this website, there is still time to let us know. Please email your comments to georgehamparishclt@gmail.com.
The 2019 Housing Needs Survey can be found here: