Mayors' concern for homes targets

Up to 900 new properties are earmarked for Okehampton

Mayors from three towns in west Devon are to write to the government over concerns about the amount of housing required to meet new homes targets.

West Devon Borough Council's local plan includes 900 new properties in Okehampton and 500 in Tavistock.

The mayors of Okehampton, Hatherleigh and Tavistock say they will lead to local services being overrun.

The council and the government said that no homes would be built without proper infrastructure.

Rethink call

The governments says hundreds of thousands of new homes are needed nationally, and each region and district has a target to meet.

Okehampton town mayor Tony Leach says if the houses do get built, local services would be pushed beyond their limits.

He is being joined by Tavistock mayor Anne Johnson and Hatherleigh mayor Gary Bush, who have agreed to write to the government to urge them to rethink the targets.

In a statement, the Department for Communities and Local Government said three million more homes were needed by 2020.

It said that extensive analysis showed a fundamental long-term mismatch between supply and demand which presented an "overwhelming case" for building more homes.

However, it added that West Devon Borough Council confirmed no new homes would be built in the district without the appropriate infrastructure.