Sidford: and developers lobbying to exempt retirement complexes from affordable housing obligations

Back in 2011, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism looked into who was donating to the party in government at the time - and a modest amount was given by a certain developer of housing for the elderly:

Churchill Retirement (Group) Ltd £9,250

The biggest Conservative donors from beyond the Square Mile — The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Last year a group listed a similar amount:

£10,000.00 Churchill Retirement Living Ltd

Donations to Tory party – largest first « Stop UK lies & corruption

Interestingly, Churchill is owned by the McCarthy family, who are also a developer of housing for the elderly - both of whom have been the subject of investigations into the value of their developments:
Campaign against Residential Leasehold Exploitation reveals abysmal retirement housing re-sale values - Leasehold Knowledge Partnership
Housebuilders shares crash over ground rents, with McCarthy and Stone down 10% - Leasehold Knowledge Partnership

Private Eye has been looking into these issues - as captured by the East Devon Watch blog - which puts the donation now a little higher:

Churchill Retirement … big Tory donors | East Devon Watch
Private Eye | Official Site - the UK's number one best-selling news and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop

Meanwhile in Sidford:
Futures Forum: A tale of two developments > affordable housing in Sidford ... but not at Knowle
Futures Forum: Proposals for sheltered housing for the elderly in Sidford > refused as it still did not include ‘an adequate amount of affordable housing’ or a ‘provision of an overage clause’.
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project >>> and comparisons with other proposals for sheltered housing for the elderly in Sidford >>> A planning officer recommended the application be refused as it still did not include ‘an adequate amount of affordable housing’ or a ‘provision of an overage clause’.
Futures Forum: District Council gives way in Sidford over affordable housing: “Under government guidance, we are required to reduce our requirements where a development is unviable and so we have no real choice but to accept this position.”
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