Council secures major funding for community infrastructure

Torridge District Council has announced £6.8 million in monetary planning contributions for the 2023-2024 financial year, secured through Section 106 legal agreements tied to housing developments. 

These funds will support vital community infrastructure such as recreational spaces, health centres, swimming pool upgrades, and biodiversity initiatives.

The council’s annual Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS), published in December 2024, highlights these contributions and their allocation. 

Funds will be released when specified milestones, or “trigger points,” in development projects are reached. 

Additionally, community organisations may apply for S106 grants in certain circumstances.

Recent infrastructure projects funded through these contributions include improvements to tennis courts in Westward Ho! and the installation of a youth shelter in Beaford. 

Over the past year, £37,000 was spent on play and recreational facilities at sites such as Short Close in Bideford and Stanhope Park in Holsworthy.

The 2023-2024 IFS also reveals significant progress in affordable housing delivery, with 67 affordable homes completed; 47 more than in the previous reporting year.

Councillor Rosemary Lock, Lead Member for Planning and Development, welcomed the latest report: “I am pleased to draw attention to the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/2024, which gives a clear indication that planning provides a vital source of funding for infrastructure in the local communities of Torridge.

“The IFS also provides communities with clear communication and transparency about what monies the Council holds in relation to planning obligations and how they are or could be spent. With improved monitoring systems now in place, communities will be able to enjoy the resulting infrastructure from the legal agreements in the future.”

By the end of March 2024, the Council retained £692,877.88 in capital funds, £212,106.18 in revenue monies, and £42,000 in S106 monitoring fees. 

The report notes that 62 per cent of the newly agreed funds will support community facilities, 18 per cent will go to open space and leisure projects, and 15 per cent will enhance health infrastructure.

The full details of the IFS, including monies secured, received, and spent, can be accessed on the council’s website.