A series of parish profiles have been created to help renters and buyers across West Devon as the housing crisis bites, creating a shortage of affordable homes.

The profiles are aimed at identifying the areas with most housing need as many residents are priced out of buying or face a lack of homes to rent.

West Devon Borough Council has collated the information on the type and size of housing including ownership and rental and the demand. The data has been collected from a housing needs survey from 56 parishes and helps identify where there is a particular need for affordable homes or homes to rent and who needs them – whether families or couples or single people.

Cllr Mark Renders, lead member for housing at the council, said: “Creating more homes that our residents need is a top priority for us as at the council. Our parish profiles have been created as part of our response to the housing crisis, to help better understand the housing situation across all areas in West Devon.

“It is our hope that we can use these profiles to support our town and parish councils and communities to deliver homes where they are needed most.”

Another objective is to acquire land and develop employment or residential units for communities, by partnering with developers of mixed use schemes to help navigate the council through the planning and Section 106 process. These are planning agreements with large-scale developers to provide community and public services such as schools, parks, footpaths and GP surgeries.

Tavistock’s parish housing profile says the following: The average property price was £276,250 in 2023, an average two-bed rent was £695 per month between 2020 and 2022. The maximum local housing allowance is £673.14 per month for a two-bed property and there has been a 36.9 per cent increase in the asking price on rental properties in the PL19 postcode.

The profile says there have been 226 affordable homes available through Devon Home Choice, between 2019 and 2024. The median income of applicants with a local connection to Tavistock is £15,000 annually.