A NEW housing policy has been drafted by East Devon District Council to encourage more affordable house building in East Devon.

A NEW housing policy has been drafted by East Devon District Council to encourage more affordable house building in East Devon. And the council now wants residents' views on the draft before it is implemented.

The new policy will allow landowners and developers to build a mix of open market and affordable housing on small sites that abut, or are close to, existing villages and settlements. Two thirds of the houses built under the policy will need to be affordable, with at least one third of the houses being available as social rented properties. By allowing for open market houses alongside the affordable homes the new policy aims to ensure that landowners will have a financial return on their land, whilst at the same time helping to meet the needs of those in greatest housing need.

You can view the consultation on the council's website:

http://eastdevon-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal Comments must be received by 5.00 pm on Friday 30 October. The Council will consider all the comments received and, where appropriate, amend the policy to reflect the issues raised. The intention is that the new policy will become operational in 2010 and will remain in place, in the first instance, until the end of 2010.

For further details please go to the Council's website: http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/ruralhousingpolicy

Anyone who has a site or area of land that they might like to see developed under this policy can speak to Paul Lowe in the Council's Housing Strategy Unit.