THE MAJORITY of the 400 responses by the public to the West Devon Local Plan are opposed to more housing.

West Devon Borough Council published the plan in September, after Devon County Council ordered it to build 4,100 new homes.

But most of the comments received by West Devon objected to development either on such a scale or on particular sites, according to principal planner Chris Dunford.

'The majority expressed concerns, in varying degrees,' he said.

The period for comment ended shortly before West Devon received research showing that it was heading for a big deficit in affordable housing.

The borough needs to provide 363 new 'affordable' homes per year to cope with demand from the bottom end of the market, according to the survey by Fordham Research.

By 'affordable' the survey means homes costing between £34,500 and £92,000 and it recommends that 40 per cent of all new houses on sites of 15 or more should be in this price bracket.

This type of housing should cost not more than £61 a week for one bedroom, £72 for two bedrooms or £84 for three bedrooms or more.

At the present rate the borough is likely to produce only 70 new affordable homes by 2010, Dr Fordham told the strategic development committee.

In the borough 79.5 per cent of homes are owner-occupied, compared with around 68 per cent nationally, implying a scarcity of homes to rent.

Half of the population is earning under £15,000 a year, so cannot afford to buy property.

West Devon has proposed to build around 1,900 new houses, as well as the 2,000 under construction, to fulfil the order by Devon County to build 4,100 by 2011.

Mr Dunford said the new information from the survey would have to be considered together with the comments received before producing a second version of the plan next summer.

The matter is likely to go to a public inquiry, probably early in 2002.