Work is underway to deliver 37 new affordable homes at Seabrook Orchards in Exeter

Construction work is in progress on the outskirts of Exeter as Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) secures 37 new homes in Bloor Homes’ second phase of Seabrook Orchards in Topsham to provide affordable housing for local people in housing need.

The new homes in Topsham are in a sought-after location just a short drive from Exeter city centre with a number of great transport links on offer, including a bus stop on the doorstep, both Topsham and Newcourt train stations in close proximity, and Exeter Airport nearby.

Of the 37 homes, 28 will be offered for social rent and 9 homes will be made available for shared ownership purchase through our sales brand, SO Living. These affordable homes will be prioritised to those with a local connection to the area to meet the specific needs of the community, which has been made possible thanks to the support from PCH’s partner, Exeter City Council.

The new homes, which consist of one-, two-, three- and four- bedrooms, are among 100 homes in phase two of the Seabrook Orchards development, which will deliver 700 homes in total alongside a range of facilities including a new primary school. As well as having access to a number of transport links, the development is within close proximity of Topsham Recreation Ground and River Exe Country Park and is just a short drive to Exmouth Beach and Dartmoor National Park.

The development is situated in a wider area covered by the Newcourt Masterplan, which was approved by Exeter City Council in 2010, accommodating 3,500 homes on around 16 hectares of employment land. The Masterplan seeks to implement the overriding objective for the development to create a sustainable and high-quality living environment, a place where people will want to live and quality spaces for leisure and recreation.

This development marks the third scheme in Exeter where Plymouth Community Homes has secured homes for social rent and shared ownership purchase in the last two years, delivering 48 homes at Vistry’s Matford Brook development near Alphington and 17 homes at Elm Park in Matford, built by Cavanna Homes.

The three developments in Exeter have created a local cluster of PCH stock in this area, adding to the 16,500 social rent homes which PCH manages in the city of Plymouth, and in surrounding areas.

PCH has worked in partnership with Bloor Homes on two other developments across the South West, including phases 2A and 2B of Filham Chase in Ivybridge delivering a total of 39 homes, and Treledan (phase two) in Saltash, delivering 54 homes at their first development in Cornwall.

Alice MacLean, Project Manager at Plymouth Community Homes, said: “Plymouth Community Homes is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Bloor Homes for a third time to deliver much-needed affordable housing for local people in housing need.

“We are confident that the high-quality homes being built at Seabrook Orchards will be a valuable and highly desirable addition to our housing stock, and provide even more social rent homes for residents in the wider Exeter area.”  

Olivia Johnson, Development Manager at Bloor Homes, said: “We are very pleased to be working once again with Plymouth Community Homes, this time on Phase 2 of our Seabrook Orchards Development in Topsham.

“Bloor Homes take pride in providing good quality, tenure blind Affordable Homes and this phase will deliver 28 rented and 9 shared ownership homes to local people to meet housing need.

“We are looking forward to building on our relationship with Plymouth Community Homes and working with them on or growing portfolio of sites across our Exeter region.”

The first homes which are to be offered for social rent will be available from Summer 2026.

All available homes to rent in Devon are advertised on Devon Home Choice, a partnership of local social landlords. To bid for a property or to be considered for a tenancy, registration will need to be completed using their online application form.