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Devon and Torbay Residents

• 880,600 people live in Devon and Torbay. Population projections suggest that this will be at least a 13% increase by 2026
• Population projections suggest that in 2026 over half of the population increase will be in the 65+ age bracket
• 87% of people living in Devon are satisfied with the county as a place to live – this is the highest satisfaction of any local authority area in the country.
• Planned projections suggest that there will be 335,000 homes in Devon as of 2026
• Draft Regional Spatial Strategy proposes an increase of 95,000 homes in Devon  by 2026 together with an additional 60,000 jobs or more. This breaks down as:
  • 28,000 additional homes in the Exeter area (a 57% increase)
  • 7,200 additional homes at Barnstaple (a 47% increase)
  • 8,000 additional homes at Newton Abbot (a 44% increase)
• In addition the draft RSS proposes 15000 new houses in Torbay by 2026.

Economy

• 431,400  (58%) are of working age. Population projections suggest that this will be 464,700 by 2026
• 300,000 people are in employment – 57,000 are self employed
• Over the past year in Devon unemployment has increased by 150% (nationally it has increased by 87%)
• As of April 2009, the unemployment rate in Devon was 2.6%
• Four biggest employment sectors (aside from the public sector – schools, health etc) are:
  • The retail and wholesale trades (15.7%)
  • Hotels and restaurants (9.1%)
  • Construction and industry (5.8%) and
  • Cultural and sporting activities (2.8%)
• 32,615 firms on the VAT register in Devon. Of these 70% employ less than 5
• The value of tourism to the Devon Economy is £2.3 billion
• The collective value of the equine industry in Devon is £33.7 million

Roads in Devon and Torbay

• 12,831km of road – the longest in any county in England
• 508km of road in Torbay
• 191893 gullies total
• 3,036 road bridges total – 340 are listed heritage structures
• 1,800 footbridges
• 229 pedestrian crossings
• 37 people died on Devon roads, 231 were seriously injured and 2,567 were slightly injured in 2008 – the cost of these injuries was £133m
• 50% reduction in deaths and serious injuries in Devon since 1998
• 75,197 streetlights, 8,018 illuminated signs and 241 school patrol lights
• 1 mile of new motorway costs £20m

Countryside and Heritage

• 4 internationally designated sites –
  • the East Devon and Dorset Coast World Heritage Site (Jurassic Coast)
  • the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, and
  • North Devon’s Biosphere Reserve
  • English Riviera Geopark
• 2 National Parks (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and 5 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty covering 34% of the County
• 2 Coasts with 696 km of coastline
• 3,727 kms of footpaths, 1,177 kms of bridleways, 82 kms byways total
• 95% of public rights of way are classed as “easy to use”
• PROW accessible routes are those that exclude stiles, steps or any obstruction which would cause difficulty to those with limited mobility It would cost –
  • £1.5 million to replace all the stiles with gates (subject to landowner permission)
  • £100 - £200k per km to ensure trails are flat and well surfaced
• 80% of Devon residents live either around, at the mouth, or at the head of one of our 13 estuaries
• 2,114 Scheduled Monuments
• 19,110 Listed Buildings
• 70,641 heritage records contained in the Devon Historic Environment Record

Transport in Devon and Torbay  

• 19.9% increase in bus and train patronage over the past four years, against a falling national trend
• 23.9 million bus passengers in the past year
• It costs £80k - £100k per year to run an all day bus service using one vehicle (before fare income)
• 33,000 Devon residents do not have access to a regular public transport service.
• 1.69 million passengers carried on Park & Ride services annually
• 21,600 children carried on school transport everyday
• 74% increase in Tarka line (Barnstaple – Exeter) passenger numbers in the past 5 years
• 39,233 Ring & Ride and 18,000 Fare Car passengers carried every year
• 26% increase between 2005 and 2007 in the number of people using Devon’s cycle paths
• cycle paths cost £100k - £200k per km dependant on existing surface
• 20% of secondary school and 14% of primary school children now cycle to school in Exeter – the average figure nationally is just 2%
• 5 Major Transport Scheme Bids currently seeking government funding
• Over 6500 people registered on Carshare Devon
• 90% of schools in Devon and 99% of schools in Torbay have School Travel Plans