Can Sherford solve the shortage of affordable homes?

The starting gun has been fired on the creation of a controversial new town in Devon - and if all goes according to plan, people will moving into their new homes next year.

A total of 5,000 new homes will be built at Sherford in south Devon - with 1,000 of them so called 'low cost housing'.

But, with affordable homes dubbed one of the biggest challenges in the West Country, is it enough to tackle the shortage?

Estate agent David Lewis says building more Sherfords is "preferential" to extending our smaller towns and villages.

He says after London the West Country has the highest discrepancy between house prices and local wages.

He added that there is a serious social housing issue in Devon, and said demand for social housing clearly outstripped supply.

The first few months of this £1billion project have been focussed on the infrastructure needed for the first 500 homes - drains, sewers and pipes.

Work eventually started here last summer and now diggers and dumpers are reshaping the land. Over 20 years, Sherford will spread over the equivalent of 600 football pitches. It will be similar in size and population to the nearby town of Ivybridge.