Issues and SWOT: Teignbridge

strength

Keep Queen Street’s improved walking routes usable

Footway and crossing work has been completed.

Routes need to work for people with limited mobility as well as shoppers.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £961 a month (August 2026) in Teignbridge council area. This is £498 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.4% in Bishopsteignton to 27.7% in Bushell — a gap of 18.3 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Turn the new smaller homes into suitable tenancies

Sherborne’s homes respond to demand for one- and two-bedroom housing.

Households need affordable rents and suitable access when construction finishes.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.4% of people reported bad or very bad health in Teignbridge council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4% in Bradley to 7.9% in Dawlish South West — a gap of 3.9 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Use existing buildings to improve temporary housing

Harewood House is proposed for conversion.

Reuse may offer alternatives to emergency hotel stays.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

27% of people in Teignbridge council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 17.3% in Bushell to 44.4% in Bishopsteignton — a gap of 27.1 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

32.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Teignbridge council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.3% in Moretonhampstead to 19.6% in Buckland & Milber — a gap of 7.3 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Teignbridge council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 8.9% in Shaldon & Stokeinteignhead to 21.2% in Bushell — a gap of 12.3 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Protect traders between construction and opening

Market construction is complete, but the July update still schedules the public opening later.

Businesses need a workable transition and a reliable operator.

Evidence