Listening to the South West - Lessons from a day with Westward Housing
29 July 2025
Behind the postcard-perfect views lie deep-rooted issues: widespread deprivation, the impact of seasonal employment, and the growing pressure of second homes pushing affordability out of reach for many.
On a sunny July day, I had the pleasure of joining Matthew Walker, Chair of PlaceShapers, to spend time with the Westward Housing team, including Chief Executive Stephen Lodge and Chair Robert Stronge.
Westward has a long history in the region. Founded as Torbay Housing Society in 1965, they recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. Today, Westward Housing Group manages 7,866 homes across Devon and Cornwall, a broad and diverse area with unique challenges and opportunities.
Having studied in Exeter, visited family in Barnstaple, and camped along both coasts, I thought I knew Devon well. But our visit to Westward’s head office in Newton Abbot reminded me how much more there is to learn.
Of course, Westward operates in some stunning locations. But as Stephen and his team explained, the south west is often misunderstood and overlooked. Behind the postcard-perfect views lie deep-rooted issues: widespread deprivation, the impact of seasonal employment, and the growing pressure of second homes pushing affordability out of reach for many.
It was great to hear more about Westward and how they approach place-shaping given their geography. They are an organisation ambitious for their communities and are looking at how they can leverage their strengths to do more. Their commitment to people and place was evident at every stop on our visit.
Our first stop was Steepway in Paignton, a scheme providing homes and vital support to people facing significant life challenges. The staff do incredible work helping residents rebuild their lives, but they face serious barriers. The shortage of move-on accommodation and mounting pressure on supported housing funding make their job even harder. We’re losing too many schemes like this across the country because providers simply can’t make the finances work.
I’d urge any politician to visit Steepway. It’s a powerful example of why supported housing matters - run by passionate, skilled staff who are changing lives every day. But it’s also a sobering reminder that without a long-term, joined-up housing strategy, these essential services are at risk.
Later, we visited one of Westward’s larger housing schemes in Torbay to see recent improvements. The refurbished flats, with smart exteriors, green spaces, and beautiful views, are a strong rebuttal to outdated stereotypes about social housing. They’re homes that residents can feel proud of, and rightly so.
We left Westward with a real sense of optimism about the future of social housing in this part of the country. That optimism was driven by the people we met - their energy, commitment, and deep understanding of local needs. But we also left with a strong conviction: the south west must be better understood at the national level if housing policy is to truly meet the needs of communities here.
What’s clear from our visit is that Westward isn’t just building homes, they're building resilience, opportunity, and a sense of place in communities that are often overlooked. The south west faces complex and unique housing pressures, but organisations like Westward show what’s possible with local commitment and ambition. At PlaceShapers, we’re proud to support their work and to help ensure the voice of the south west is heard loud and clear in national housing conversations.