Ivybridge residents urged to have their say on market future
'Encourage people to visit'
The council's executive member for economic development, John Birch, said: "Local markets are often at the heart of a community, and it is important Ivybridge is getting what it needs from theirs."We want to transform the local economy and support our high streets and businesses; this is set out in our council plan and our ambition for all towns across the South Hams."By improving our local markets, we can support small businesses to thrive and encourage more people to visit and enjoy the wonderful things our towns have to offer."
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Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Families in seaside town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea celebrate after developer loses bid to scrap rule new builds should be sold to locals only
Families in a seaside town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea have celebrated after a developer lost its bid to scrap a new rule that new builds should only be sold to locals. The Planning Inspectorate ruled this week that Valentine London can only sell its four new luxury apartments in Salcombe, Devon, to people planning to live there full-time. The developer had appealed South Hams District Council's 2019 rule that any new homes in the coastal resort town must be primary residences. The firm said this strict condition made its £1.2million flats 'unsellable' - but its pleas were rejected by the national planning body on Monday. Salcombe earned its nickname, punning on the affluent London area of Chelsea, as almost half its dwellings are owned by outsiders. They often use their properties as second homes or holiday lets. It means property prices in the town have soared to an eye-watering average of £826,000, pricing locals out of the market and forcing many out of the area. So, natives of the picturesque sailing town are overjoyed at this latest decision - which they said sets an important precedent for all coastal areas affected by second home ownership. Salcombe's mayor, town coucillor Jasper Evans, said: 'Salcombe's housing stock is under pressure from the number of second homes which is absolutely not a criticism of second home owners. 'They have invested massively in the town and we are tremendously appreciative of everything they contribute. To be clear - we welcome everyone who loves Salcombe. 'In Salcombe, the permanent resident population has been in decline. We don't want that to continue. 'We want young people to stay in the town, work here, be part of the local economy and community. 'The town's year-round vitality depends on its permanent residents of all ages. So, the policy is that if you buy a new house, it has to be your main home. 'That doesn't apply to houses already built. 'This policy is certainly well-supported in Salcombe. It is in our Neighbourhood Plan and it's been introduced in many coastal towns, especially in the south west, who have also been closely watching this appeal. 'It was very important for us and I am sure other communities who adopted the principal residence condition will be equally pleased with this decision.' The properties are no longer listed for sale and the estate agents said they could not comment on why. MailOnline has contacted Valentine London for comment but the company appears to have gone into receivership as of May last year. Its directors are listed on Companies House as Andrew and Samantha Manning-Smith, with both appointed in May 2016. Mr Manning-Smith's LinkedIn page reads: 'Currently developing 15,000 sq ft on the water in Salcombe.' Meanwhile, Mrs Manning-Smith's describes her as a 'property owner in Salcombe' with the development 'now concluded and in the sales phase' - and her profile picture bearing the tag 'open to work'. Their accounts also show them both also currently working as co-founders of Targa Club as of August 2019, a private members' club for car lovers. Mrs Manning-Smith has regularly featured as a 'panellist on political and current affairs' on Radio 4, Radio 5 and Channel 4 with Anita Anand and Cathy Newman. She was asked to speak at the Conservative Party Conference by then-Prime Minister David Cameron in 2009. And she was put forward to stand as a candidate for the party in London's Richmond Park in 2007, missing out to Zac Goldsmith, who was MP from 2010 to 2016 and from 2017 to 2019. He served as Minister for Overseas Territories from September 2022 to June 2023 and is now a life peer. Mrs Manning-Smith has also won various business accolades, as a finalist in Business Woman of the Year 2006, invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the late Queen in 2007 as one of the 100 Most Influential Women In Business. Planning inspector Oliver Marigold said the drawbacks of letting Valentine London sell the flats without the primary residence condition would 'significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits'. South Hams District Council brought in this rule in its 2019 Salcombe Neighbourhood Plan as the town reached breaking point over the second homes issue. Salcombe had become the second most expensive seaside location after Sandbanks. This was no mean feat, given the Dorset seaside town has long been the playground of celebrities like football manager Harry Redknapp and chef Rick Stein. Permission for the four flats in Salcombe and a commercial unit at ground level below them - known collectively as the Brewery Quay scheme - was granted in 2020. The council says the developers were aware of the primary residence restriction throughout. Developers managed to flog the commercial space to a marine business. But the white elephant flats have still not sold, despite efforts to variously market them off-plan, after completion and at 25 per cent under market value. Valentine London has claimed this is because buyers see it as a risky investment, fearing the principal residence rule would make it hard to sell the flats on. But Mr Marigold did not agree: 'The main reason that the flats are not occupied is because of the marketing strategy, which I have found has not sufficiently explored all potential opportunities.' He said as far as he was aware, new dwellings granted permission in the South Hams area since the rule was implemented in 2019 have sold without any problems. The inspector added a lower price may yet pull potential buyers in. He also remarked: 'I do not accept the contention that the planning system entitles developers to expect a reasonable return from development or that the need for a return justifies non-compliance with planning policy.' Mr Marigold also said not upholding the rule would undermine its function - to 'redress the balance of an unquestionably high proportion of second or holiday homes in Salcombe'. 'Tourism is important to Salcombe, but the level of second homes and holiday lets is harming its vitality', Mr Marigold wrote. 'Policy H3 clearly sets out that new unrestricted market homes will not be supported, to meet the housing needs of local people and to strengthen the community and economy.' District councillor Mark Long has previously said, after the appeal was submitted: 'We need people living here full time. 'What we're looking for is to try and balance things out so that we actually have a vibrant, viable community.' If Valentine London won, all areas with principal residence conditions would be at risk 'right across the South West and around the country', he warned. 'And so I think it's important that we try and hold the line here.' Salcombe Town Council has previously echoed this sentiment: 'Nothing in any document submitted persuades us to waver from upholding the principal residence Policy SALC H3 which is and has been very clear: "New unrestricted market homes will not be supported at any time"... 'Many other parishes are protected by similar policies and any deviation would set a dangerous precedent in and beyond Salcombe. This policy must be vigorously upheld.' Salcombe is one of 12 parishes in the South Hams district, on Devon's south coast, which have adopted principal residency conditions 'to achieve sustainable communities'. Such policies have been adopted in other parts of the country too, like the coastal town of St Ives, Cornwall. A spokesperson for Salcombe Town Council has now commented, after this week's decision: 'This is more than just a planning decision. It's about keeping Salcombe a lived-in town throughout the year... 'We want our streets to stay alive all year round, the school well-used, neighbours sharing a coffee and local shops and services supported by residents who call Salcombe home. 'Other coastal communities which have a substantial visitor economy and many houses not permanently occupied have been closely watching this appeal. 'This decision helps reinforce the shared importance of protecting space for permanent communities in areas under intense second-home demand.' It added: 'We welcome everyone who loves Salcombe, whether you're here all year, some of the year or just visiting. 'What matters is that we work together to ensure Salcombe stays vibrant, resilient, and inclusive. 'Supporting principal residence new homes is not about exclusion - it's about keeping the heart of Salcombe beating year round and for generations to come.' Valentine London co-director Mr Manning-Smith, has previously been quoted as refuting the council's claims developers knew about the restriction when the homes were built. He said: 'This was the first primary occupancy restriction in Devon. 'When we applied for preplanning and planning the primary occupancy restriction did not exist. 'It also did not exist in the statement of common ground agreed with the council a month before the appeal. 'The point we were aware the restriction was requested to be applied by South Hams Council was on the day of the appeal. 'We have applied to remove the condition as the apartments are unsaleable at a proper price with the condition, which we told the inspector on the original appeal, and highly unlikely to be mortgageable. 'Despite numerous reductions in price and offers of incentives, the apartments have failed to find a buyer in the last three and a half years due to the condition on this site.'
BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
South Hams leisure centres set to get solar panel upgrades
A Devon council is planning to install solar panels on three of its leisure centres to help make them more financially Hams District Council said it would install the panels at facilities in Ivybridge, Dartmouth and authority said work to install panels on a fourth leisure centre, Quayside Leisure Centre in Kingsbridge, had already environment was a "key priority" and the leisure centres were one of the biggest contributors to the council's carbon footprint, it said. The upgrade would reduce energy bills, helping to make each of the centres more financially sustainable, the council said. It estimated the project would cut about 90 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. Julian Brazil, lead member for community services, operations and leisure at the council, said: "The environmental benefits from installing the panels are huge."The installation of the panels will also lower the effects of rising costs for all three centres, which are a threat to many facilities like ours. "The panels should help to keep membership and entry prices as low as possible for users."
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Telegraph
Seaside town ‘driving away tourists' with two-tier parking charges
Locals have criticised their seaside town's two-tiered parking charges. Beck Gordon, who owns a cafe and fishmonger in Salcombe, south Devon, claims day-trippers have stopped visiting. Owners of second homes, which make up about 60 per cent of the properties in this picturesque seaside town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea, are already charged double council tax. But now tourists have been hit with a differential parking scheme, after the Lib Dem-led council introduced a £10-a-day parking charge. It means that while South Hams District Council is charging tourists up to £10 for a day's parking, locals can pay £5 for an annual permit that lets them use the town's car parks for £8 a day. The town is reliant on tourists and some business owners fear they will now be dissuaded from visiting, with some reporting a much quieter Easter holiday than usual. Ms Gordon said: 'It's quieter generally. The parking's definitely an issue. 'In terms of day-trippers, if you talk about more local people, they definitely don't come anymore.' She revealed it was cheaper to pay for a parking ticket a week than to use the car park. 'Sometimes you get lucky and the parking guys don't come round for one or two days so you end up with maybe two parking tickets a week – but it's cheaper to pay for one or two parking tickets a week than it is to park in the car park, which is absolutely ridiculous. 'We probably pay anywhere between £25 and £50 a week in parking tickets whereas if we parked in the car park it would cost us £70.' One cafe manager, who didn't want to be named, said she spends £120 of her wages on parking. 'It's affecting workers in the town. Because I park before 8am, I have to go for 24-hour parking at Creek car park, which is ridiculous. Yes, I can buy a parking permit, but that's so much money and I only work three days a week.' Cllr Julian Brazil, executive leader of the council's community services, said: 'We'd like to do everything to help the tourism trade and we have kept our car parking charges as competitive as possible. Residents of the South Hams can benefit from our discounted resident parking scheme. 'Many workers in Salcombe have benefited from our competitive parking permits which offer significantly lower long-term parking compared to our pay on the day rates. 'Be under no illusion, we don't want to increase prices, but this is the best choice for us under the circumstances we find ourselves in. 'Our prices have been frozen for four years, and now everyone who benefits from our public services are being asked to contribute, and that includes our visitors.'
