Block Management in Devon
Two-tier councils now, four unitaries decided, and almost 700 kilometres of coastline.
Across Devon, Plymouth Block Management acts as managing agent, offering block, estate and leasehold management for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders, run from our Plymouth head office. In two-tier Devon a block's planning and building control sit with the district, city or borough council, while surface water flooding falls to Devon County Council. Only 9.4 per cent of households are in purpose-built blocks, against 17.1 per cent across England.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
Devon Buildings Under Our Management
These are developments in and around Devon that we manage now, with their own boards, budgets and contractors.
- Flete House, a Grade I listed country house at Holbeton in the South Hams, now 29 retirement apartments
- Woodland Court, 10 apartments at Ivybridge, converted from the farm buildings of Woodland Manor
- 71 Plymouth Road, a house and seven apartments in Tavistock
- Harris Place, apartments in Exeter, EX1
- Old Park Avenue, apartments in Exeter
Two Tiers Today, Four Unitaries Planned for 2028
- Local authority
- Devon County Council above eight district, city and borough councils
- Authority type
- County council
- Building control
- the district, city or borough council for the area
- Fire and rescue service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- Setting
- Coastal
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency long term flood risk; UKHSA UK radon map; Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
Getting the Authority Right Before Reorganisation
Identify the Right Authority First
In two-tier Devon, planning and building control sit with the district, city or borough council, and a block inside Dartmoor or Exmoor deals with the National Park Authority. We would confirm the correct body before any application or consent.
ConsentsRoute Surface Water Issues to the County
Surface water and ordinary watercourse flooding is Devon County Council's responsibility as Lead Local Flood Authority. For a block with communal drainage problems we would raise them with the right body and keep the correspondence on record.
Maintenance and repairsCheck Radon Bands Block by Block
Parts of Devon fall in the highest bands on the national radon map. We would check each block's address against the map and, where measurement is advised, arrange radon testing in communal ground-floor areas.
ComplianceKeep Authority Records Current Through 2028
Devon County Council and its eight districts are to be replaced by four unitary councils, with elections due in May 2027. We would update each block's authority contacts and compliance record as functions transfer to the new councils.
Block managementFour Unitary Councils Are Due to Replace Two Tiers
On 16 July 2026 the Secretary of State decided to reorganise local government across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay into four unitary councils, replacing Devon County Council and its eight districts. Elections to the new councils are due in May 2027. They are to be implemented by April 2028, through a Structural Changes Order subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then the existing county and district structure stands, and a block's planning, building control and licensing contacts stay as they are.
The obligations in the lease and in statute do not change. What changes is the body an application goes to and the authority that enforces housing standards, so compliance records and planning history need to be in order before the transfer rather than after it.
Only 9.4 Per Cent of Devon Households Are in Blocks
Devon is not a flatted county. At the 2021 Census 9.4 per cent of its 352,618 households were in a purpose-built block, against 17.1 per cent across England, while 35.8 per cent were detached against England's 22.9. The flat stock is concentrated in Exeter and the coastal towns rather than spread across the county. For a block, that means the issues that matter most are usually urban or coastal ones.
Almost 700 Kilometres of Coastline on Two Coasts
Devon County Council records that the county's two coasts run to almost 700 kilometres at mean high water, and that the north coast is generally less densely populated and developed than the south. For a block on either coast, salt air shortens the life of external paint and metalwork, which should be reflected in redecoration cycles and the reserve fund.
Parts of Devon Sit in the Highest Radon Bands
Parts of Devon fall in the highest bands on the national radon map. Approved Document C notes that some parts of the country, notably the West Country, have higher levels than elsewhere. BR 211 requires basic protective measures where 3 to 10 per cent of homes are predicted above the action level, and full measures above 10 per cent. For a block, the band at its own address decides whether communal areas should be measured.
Devon Details a Board Tends to Learn the Hard Way
- In two-tier Devon the planning and building control authority for a block is always the district, city or borough council. Devon County Council's planning role is limited to minerals, waste and its own developments such as schools.
- Surface water and ordinary watercourse flooding is Devon County Council's responsibility as Lead Local Flood Authority, not the district's. In Plymouth and Torbay the unitary council does both.
- A block inside Dartmoor or Exmoor National Park is dealt with by the National Park Authority as sole local planning authority.
- Plymouth and Torbay ceased to form part of the administrative county on 1 April 1998 and are separate unitary authorities, though both remain in the ceremonial county of Devon.
Devon Fees, Fixed Before We Start
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 changing your managing agent.
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Other Devon Towns We Cover, with What Sets Each Apart
| Town | Council | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Axminster | East Devon District Council | Street-named River Axe warnings at Stoney Bridge and Castle Hill, with no tidal reach. |
| Bovey Tracey | Teignbridge District Council | Six of eleven radon squares in the top band, and Teignbridge, not Dartmoor, deciding applications. |
| Buckfastleigh | Dartmoor National Park Authority for planning, with Teignbridge District Council for building control | Dartmoor National Park decides planning here, while Teignbridge still handles building control. |
| Budleigh Salterton | East Devon District Council | Classed among exposed coastal areas facing Lyme Bay, with the lower Otter reconnected to its floodplain. |
| Crediton | Mid Devon District Council | One conservation area, a made neighbourhood plan, and flats concentrated in Lawrence ward. |
| Cullompton | Mid Devon District Council | Mid Devon's only Article 4 direction, written as a list of named building elements. |
| Dawlish | Teignbridge District Council | A tide-locked brook, an open Channel frontage and no new housing allocations. |
| Honiton | East Devon District Council | Radon readings that run from class 1 to class 4 within one town. |
| Kingsbridge | South Hams District Council | High tides can lock the culverts and put water in the lower town, undefended. |
| Newton Abbot | Teignbridge District Council | Flood risk from the Lemon and the Teign, and radon bands that change across town. |
| Okehampton | West Devon Borough Council | Class 6 radon across the town, where the East and West Okement meet. |
| Salcombe | South Hams District Council | Every square over the town is radon class 6, beside a high-salinity ria. |
| Seaton | East Devon District Council | Seafront tidal risk, radon that climbs with the hills, and flats above shops. |
| Sidmouth | East Devon District Council | Fore Street and Ham Lane face the sea and the Sid at once. |
| Tiverton | Mid Devon District Council | Mid Devon's highest count of properties at fluvial flood risk, on the Exe and Lowman. |
| Totnes | South Hams District Council | 206 listed buildings front one continuous thoroughfare, from Bridgetown to Cistern Street. |
Areas with Their Own Page in Devon
| Area | Local authority | From Plymouth |
|---|---|---|
| Block management in Paignton | Torbay Council | 30 miles |
| Block management in Torbay | Torbay Council | 33 miles |
| Block management in Dartmouth | South Hams District Council | 37 miles |
| Block management in Teignmouth | Teignbridge District Council | 40 miles |
| Block management in Exeter | Exeter City Council | 46 miles |
| Block management in Exmouth | East Devon District Council | 53 miles |
| Block management in North Devon | North Devon Council | 63 miles |
| Block management in Ivybridge | South Hams District Council | – |
| Block management in Tavistock | West Devon Borough Council | – |
| Block management in Plymouth | Plymouth City Council | – |
Devon Questions, Answered from the County's Records
Does a Block in Plymouth or Torbay Come Under Devon County Council?
No. Plymouth and Torbay ceased to form part of the administrative county on 1 April 1998 and are separate unitary authorities, though both remain in the ceremonial county of Devon. There the unitary council handles both planning and surface water flooding, whereas elsewhere in Devon those functions are split between the district and the county.
What Happens to Our Block's Council Contacts When Devon Reorganises?
Nothing changes yet. Until the four unitary councils are implemented, due by April 2028 subject to Parliamentary approval, the existing county and district structure stands and a block's planning, building control and licensing contacts stay as they are. As functions transfer, we would update each block's authority contacts and compliance record.
Who Handles Planning for a Block Inside Dartmoor or Exmoor?
A block inside Dartmoor or Exmoor National Park is dealt with by the National Park Authority as sole local planning authority. Elsewhere in two-tier Devon the planning and building control authority is always the district, city or borough council, and Devon County Council's planning role is limited to minerals, waste and its own developments such as schools, so it does not decide applications for a block.
Devon Places with a Page of Their Own
Put Your Devon Block in Front of Us.
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