Bideford quay wall given funding for repairs

There's also funding for a housing development

A developer has been offered nearly £800,000 to repair the quay wall in Bideford and build a development of apartments, design studios, shops and restaurants.

The Brunswick Wharf land release fund given to Torridge District Council by the government will enable the authority to give a developer, Red Earth, £797,000 to complete the work.

Torridge plans to give the first payment of £400,000 to Red Earth after the company finishes working on the sea wall, with the rest provided when it starts building the housing development.

There is a danger of the money being taken back by the government before the twenty-third home is built, but that risk is reduced with every new house built.

The planned payments were passed at a full council meeting on Monday [30 January] after a discussion behind closed doors. All that remains is for the developer to decide if it is happy with the proposal.

Torridge’s lead member for economy, Cllr Robert Hicks (Independent, Monkleigh and Putford), said he is “not particularly” confident of the developer accepting the council’s terms.

He also does not believe an alternative plan to spend the near £800,000 on the development can be found.

Elsewhere, Torridge has been given reassurances over its shared prosperity fund, which allows it to complete work on developments and business support measures in both Torridge and North Devon.

The fund of £1 million needs to be spent before the end of March 2025, and just over £110,000 of that is allocated to this financial year.

Officers had been concerned that if this year’s money cannot be spent by March, it could be taken back by the government.

But after some clarification from government prior to the meeting, officers were told that the money could be carried over into next year as long as the council can show that it can deliver on its planned projects.