Block Management in Newton Abbot
Overtopped in 2013 and 2020, Holbeam Dam still protects over 1,100 properties.
Block, estate and leasehold management in Newton Abbot is available from us to residents' management companies, RTM companies and freeholders. Flood risk arrives from the Lemon, the tidal Teign and the Teign at the racecourse, and the Holbeam Dam was overtopped in 2013 and again in 2020. Radon varies by area, from class 5 over the town centre to class 2 at Wolborough Hill and Milber.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Newton Abbot
Budget for Overtopping, Not Just Defence
The Environment Agency records that the Holbeam Dam protects more than 1,100 properties, and that it was overtopped in 2013 and 2020. We would factor that history into reserve fund planning for blocks near the Lemon or the Teign.
Reserve fundsPrioritise Radon Measurement by Location
The town centre square is class 5 at 10 to 30 per cent, Forde Park, the racecourse and Buckland are class 4, and Wolborough Hill and Milber class 2. We would recommend communal measurement, starting with blocks in the higher bands.
ComplianceAssess Converted-House Blocks Properly
Across the town's wards 750 flats are not purpose-built, including 472 in converted or shared houses, 213 of them in College ward. We would commission fire risk assessments suited to converted layouts and keep the compliance record current.
Fire risk assessmentsCheck Schemes Against the 2026 Plan
The Teignbridge Local Plan 2020 to 2040, adopted on 19 May 2026, replaced the 2013 to 2033 plan, with the made neighbourhood plan above it. We would check works needing permission against both before specifying them in any conservation area.
ConsentsManaging a Block in Newton Abbot at a Glance
- Local authority
- Teignbridge District Council
- Authority type
- District, under the county council
- Building control
- Teignbridge District Council Building Control
- County
- Devon
- Fire and rescue service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- From our Plymouth office
- About 26 miles in a straight line
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Newton Abbot to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
The Holbeam Dam Overtopped in 2013 and Again in 2020
One of only two Environment Agency designated flood risk areas in the district, and the risk comes from three directions. The warning area for the River Lemon names Bakers Park, the Bradley Lane industrial estate, the town centre, Queen Street and Osborne Park. The tidal area for the Teign and its estuary names Osborne Park, the cricket ground, Marsh Road, Wharf Road, Quay Road and Forde Road. A third covers the Teign at the racecourse. The town is defended by the Holbeam Dam flood storage area on the Lemon. It was built after the flood of 27 December 1979, when the river ran at 60 cubic metres a second against a culvert capacity of 35. The agency records that it protects more than 1,100 properties, and that it was overtopped in 2013 and again in 2020. That overtopping history is what to plan a block's reserve fund and insurance around.
Many Flats Are Conversions or over Shops
Across Bradley, Buckland and Milber, Bushell and College wards, 2,165 of 12,212 households were flats at the 2021 Census, 17.7 per cent. Of these, 1,415 were purpose-built and 750 were not: 472 in a converted or shared house, 129 in another converted building and 149 over commercial premises. College ward alone holds 213 converted or shared house flats. Converted houses raise questions over demises, shared services and fire separation, so fire risk assessments need to suit converted layouts.
Four Conservation Areas Across the Town
Four conservation areas. Courtenay Park and the town centre were designated on 10 December 1976. Forde Park was designated on 10 December 1974 and revised in 2018. Wolborough Hill was designated in March 1990 and extended in 2010, and Wolborough Street on 6 September 2010. The council's own appraisals count two grade I, one grade II star and 20 grade II inside the town centre area. They count 26 listed buildings in Wolborough Street, two in Wolborough Hill, and none at all inside the existing Forde Park boundary. For a block in any of the four areas, external works should be checked for consent before they are specified.
Radon Band Depends on Which End of Town
Not uniform across the town. The kilometre square over the town centre is class 5 of 6, where the maximum radon potential is 10 to 30 per cent of homes above the action level. Measurement is advised there. Forde Park, the racecourse and Buckland sit in class 4, at 5 to 10 per cent, and Wolborough Hill and Milber in class 2, at 1 to 3 per cent. A block at one end of Newton Abbot is in a different band from a block at the other, so radon measurement should be prioritised by location.
A New Local Plan Adopted in May 2026
Decided under the Teignbridge Local Plan 2020 to 2040, adopted on 19 May 2026, which replaced the 2013 to 2033 plan. The Newton Abbot Neighbourhood Development Plan 2016 to 2033 is made and sits on top of it. No Article 4 direction is published for Teignbridge. For a block, works needing permission are judged against both the new Local Plan and the neighbourhood plan.
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Newton Abbot Questions
Which Newton Abbot Streets Do the Flood Warnings Name?
The River Lemon warning area names Bakers Park, the Bradley Lane industrial estate, the town centre, Queen Street and Osborne Park. The tidal Teign estuary area names Osborne Park, the cricket ground, Marsh Road, Wharf Road, Quay Road and Forde Road. A third area covers the Teign at the racecourse. Newton Abbot is one of only two designated flood risk areas in the district.
Is Radon the Same Across Newton Abbot?
No, and the variation matters more than the headline. The square over the town centre is class 5, at 10 to 30 per cent of homes above the action level, where measurement is advised. Forde Park, the racecourse and Buckland are class 4 at 5 to 10 per cent, and Wolborough Hill and Milber class 2 at 1 to 3 per cent.
Which Conservation Areas Are There in Newton Abbot?
Four. Courtenay Park and the town centre was designated on 10 December 1976, and Forde Park on 10 December 1974, revised in 2018. Wolborough Hill was designated in March 1990 and extended in 2010, and Wolborough Street on 6 September 2010. The appraisals count 26 listed buildings in Wolborough Street and none inside the existing Forde Park boundary.
Nearby Areas
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