Dawlish Discussion

This is the new thinking by the government, though how many of the new builds in the last 5-10 years in Dawlish have been bungalows? As far as I can see it is flats and houses crammed in as tight as possible to maximise return.  If more bungalows were built would it encourage older people to move out of larger family homes?  Some say older people want to live in flats as it is less work and less maintenance, but is this true or is this the line spun by the greedy developers?  I love the thought of a bungalow with a nice garden to sit in surrounded by other bungalows or challet bungalows, but would a developer actually go with that or the council who don't want low density let it go through?  It will be interesting to see how Teignbridge Council deal with this when it becomes part of the planning guidance.  The same goes for self builds, what builders truely want them on site!  Just a thought.

Mr Boles believes that new bungalows could help to solve the housing crisis by encouraging older people to move out of bigger homes and make way for younger families.

Critics have previously warned that planning rules which have forced developers to build at least 30 dwellings per hectare had acted as a disincentive towards new bungalows by focusing on high density developments.

This meant that in 2009 only 300 bungalows were built in this country, and that currently only two per cent of the country’s homes are bungalows.

Mr Boles indicated that developments containing bungalows may face less local opposition.

“Bungalows are not a universal panacea, but they are very popular and therefore if you have land in your neighbourhoods and you propose to allocate it specifically to bungalows I think you’ll find that those site allocations are some of the more popular ones that you make,” Mr Boles added.

http://www.localgovernmentexecutive.co.uk/news/councils-told-build-more-bungalows-planning-guidance-goes-online

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/10416553/Pensioners-want-to-end-their-days-in-bungalows-says-minister.html

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/in-praise-bungalows

Dawlish by the looks of it to have over 2,000 new homes by the time Teignbridge roll out Plan Teignbridge, but how many will be bungalows for older residents who do not want to be forced into flats!  Come to think of it how many older persons flats are their since the Dawlish population is made up of many older residents?  It is fine building family homes, but if the older residents are not catered for where are they going to live when they cannot cope with the homes they are living in?  Exeter has a new retirement village where St Loye's was, maybe we should have an area set aside for a number of dwellings to meet Dawlish's needs as well!  This could include bungalows and flats which are warden controlled, like Stoneland Mews.  It looks like Shell Cove House is to get the go ahead for 55+ aged housing, as per planning committee 13 Jan 2015, but will it be enough as Dawlish is to expand so much?

DAWLISH - 14/02780/MAJ - Shell Cove House, 19 Old Teignmouth Road - Demolition of block of ten flats and 3 houses and redevelopment to provide 15 dwellings and 16 flats with integrated landscaping, access, parking and associated services  

The Business Manager – Strategic Place BE AUTHORISED TO GRANT PERMISSION 

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=42936&p=0

Please, please everyone do not come down on me like a ton of bricks when you read the following. 

I'd just like to put forward the thought that part of the housing crisis in this country is being caused by more and more elderly people living for longer and longer. Therefore housing stock that would have been released back onto the market or made available in the social housing sector some 20 years or so ago now isn't because advances in medicine and surgery are keeping more people alive for longer. Then add on to those 80+ year olds, my generation of baby boomers and yet another bulge in the elderly population (let's say those presently aged 60 - 70) will aid and abet the housing crisis.

On a personal note, our next move would ideally be to a bungalow, with a small(ish) garden. That way we will  free up a family size home with an enclosed, lawned, back garden safe and suitable for children and dogs to play in.

Don't fancy moving to Shell Cove House development though. Far too near the cliff edge for my liking. 

There is also the point people tend to holiday here whilst bringing their children up and then look to retire here from other parts of the the country when they are able to.  So it is not just providing for the population of Dawlish itself, but also the fact retirement housing that would have been available to locals is also being taken up by non-residents, which cannot be stopped. Many of my retired friends are incomers, who chose the quieter way of life down here.  We are a magnet for retiring people, so the council has to think of the bigger picture and provide for all in society and even the Government have realised that unless we can get older people to downsize the country is going to be in even bigger difficulties than it is now.  There is also the point the planners are allowing bungalows to be knocked down or turned into houses, so reducing the availability futher, so that should be stopped.  How comes other councils are providing new bungalows with smaller gardens, but as I can see all the development in Dawlish recently and there has been a lot, has failed to produce any bungalows that I can see, or can someone enlighten me as to where any new bungalows have been built!  Maybe a Cllr could answer this one.

http://redwaters.co.uk/developments/kingshill/

Catch 22 though this business of bungalows becoming houses.

If extended outwards and upwards then they increase the stock of family houses that many are needing to move into. On the other hand, with each and every bungalow that is extended fewer retirement type properties are available.

And on the subject of people moving here from other parts of the country (guilty as charged m'lud), we (the incomers) aggravate even more the lack of supply of all types of housing  because we increase the demand for it. And with that lack of supply vs increase in demand comes an increase in price.

And all this in a part of the country that is, on the whole, low waged.

an interesting article in this week's Inside Housing about the older and younger generations and the housing market.

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/blaming-the-victim/7007949.article

@Kaz - you might find this of interest

http://www.teignhousing.co.uk/news/digging-new-ground-christow-community-land-trust

It is nice to see a project which actually is not just focusing on the younger generation and have ensured local older people and disabled are able to gain housing at Christow also, so keeping it a rounded community.  It is a shame that Dawlish doesn't appear to be have the same vision of inclusiveness.  By the way I haven't had time, but does anyone know how many bungalows have been built in Dawlish in the last say 5 years?  I wonder if there is a record of housing type at Teignbridge?

Found this - not sure how up to date it is though.

http://www.housingcare.org/sheltered-housing/area-3-284-dawlish-devon.aspx

Bungalows for sale in Dawlish @ today's date

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Dawlish/bungalows.html

Funny you should point this out, as I looked at this site this morning and couldn't belive how many were listed.  Usually only a few are for sale, so it makes a nice change to see such a selection.  I guess it is the start of the house selling season.  It would be good to see how fast or slow they sell as this would point to demand.