From 2013, the parish of Salcombe was working on its  Neighbourhood Development Plan.   A Housing Needs Survey was distributed and completed, confirming what local residents already knew, that more affordable housing is needed in this parish.

As a holiday destination with its second homes, Salcombe’s housing problem is skewed to such a degree that we are close to being unable to service the tourism businesses that are our bread and butter, because our essential full-time and part-time, permanent employees – the cleaners, gardeners, plumbers, shop, pub and restaurant staff, the volunteers who man our Lifeboat, fire service, after-school groups, clubs and organisations and so on – cannot afford to live here because of our low wage levels and the high property prices, both rental and sale, which are out of range.

Historical social housing has been partially sold off and not sufficiently replaced.  There isn’t enough social housing being provided by other means – and what is provided, is primarily on the back of open market development, of which Salcombe already has enough.

Therefore, the Community Land Trust is focusing on providing only rental housing to the parish.  We are doing this through partnership with Aster Housing Association, who will manage and maintain the properties, subject to Salcombe CLT’s own Allocations Policy, prioritising genuinely local residents.

However, there is a real problem with those people who do not, for many reasons, put their names on the register to start with, believing that they will never be considered for social housing. Please register NOW by clicking on the logo to the right. 

It is our hope and belief that Salcombe CLT can begin to address this problem.  To begin with, we cannot deliver enough dwellings to satisfy the need but we can provide some.  Our first project should provide approximately 20 dwellings of mixed size.  We have a “News” page on this website where we will provide updates to the projects we are working on.  We are being advised by Wessex Community Assets who have piloted the now established scheme involving partnership with one of a selection of south west Housing Associations.    The scheme, successfully used hitherto, involves the CLT retaining the Freehold of the properties, thereby keeping the assets within Salcombe’s ownership.