Mid Devon District Council is currently developing eight sites across the district to address housing needs, with the latest development in School Close, Bampton capturing the interest of Homes England.

In partnership with ZED PODS, the Council is transforming the School Close site to provide 18 zero-carbon homes on council-owned land which was previously 10 outdated council properties.

The new properties will offer a well-balanced mix of housing to meet a range of local needs, consisting of 10 one-bed, 2 two-bed, 2 three-bed and 4 four-bedroom homes. The development will also provide 38 parking spaces and is expected to be completed early next year.

As part of wider interest in Mid Devon’s approach to sustainable housing, a Director from Homes England visited the district last month to view several of the Council’s housing developments, including School Close. The visit included time on site to see progress first-hand and learn more about the Council’s use of modern methods of construction (MMC).

Councillor Jane Lock, Cabinet Member for Housing, Assets & Property Services, said:

“I am proud that as a Council we are building even more homes for local people. This latest development builds on the success of our award-winning schemes, which we have been delivering since early 2024. We are committed to supporting Mid Devon’s communities by providing high quality homes, which are sustainable and affordable.”

Tom Northway, Chairman, ZED PODS said:

“We’re proud to be working with Mid Devon District Council and Homes England to design and deliver superior, energy-efficient affordable homes. This partnership demonstrates how councils can aggregate small sites using Zed Pods’ turnkey solutions. School Close is one of 6 sites, that we’ll be delivering between now and March 2026.”

Shahi Islam, Director of Affordable Housing at Homes England, said:

“The development is a great example of how the Affordable Homes Programme supports our partners to build high quality and sustainable homes that meet local need and support creating thriving communities.”

The Council is currently developing seven other sites and working on proposals for an additional five across the district, with the potential to deliver more than 50 homes for local people - information on all of these schemes is available on the Mid Devon Housing Development Hub.

These projects are supported by the Affordable Homes Programme, which provides grant funding to support the costs of developing affordable housing in England.

---

Photo: Visit to School Close, Bampton, L-R: Shahi Islam, Homes England / Simon Newcombe and Richard Marsh, Mid Devon District Council / Debansu Das, Zed Pods.