Latest news with #NorthDevonCouncil
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Plans to extend Devon giant water slide opening days
Bosses want to keep a giant water slide attraction in a field in Devon open outside of the summer temporary change of use application is for Collacott Farm, Fremington, where the Monster Slip and Slide attraction is. Those behind the plans want it to be open for 76 days per year, between May and September with an additional 60-day period for set up and taking it planning documents to North Devon Council, they stated the proposal aimed to provide an outdoor leisure facility for local residents and tourists that offered a safe, fun, and active outdoor activity. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the 72ft (22m) wide PVC slide extends to 360ft (110m) in site would operate during the May half-term then on weekends until the beginning of the summer holidays when it would run every day until documents said it "complements the rural setting of the land while enhancing local tourism".The development is designed to be "temporary and sustainable, respecting the environment and surrounding landscape".Visitor numbers would be managed through a pre-booking system which would ensure safety and avoid congestion, the documents attraction would be expected to employ 25 local people, it application will be decided at a later date.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
North Devon woodland gets new benches and fitness equipment
New benches and fitness equipment have been installed in woodland in north Devon, the council has Devon Council said new oak benches and trim trial equipment were installed at Yeo Valley Woodland, in Barnstaple, thanks to a council said the former Frankmarsh and Gorwell Community Association donated £6,000 to the Friends of Yeo Valley Woodland which said the new additions made the woodland more welcoming and accessible for visitors looking to relax or be member for climate and biodiversity councillor Ricky Knight said it was a "fantastic example of local people investing in the future of their community".
BBC News
14-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
North Devon facilities get funding boost
Community facilities in north Devon are to share in £310,000 of council Devon Council said it would split the public open space funding between Barnstaple, Bickington and Witheridge. Fremington Parish Council is set to receive the biggest sum after being given £240,000 to extend a changing room pavilion, increase storage and add a kitchenette to the Tews Lane Playing Field council said the total sum came from contributions from the Glenwood Farm, Oakwell Residential Home and Mead Park developments. The council said Witheridge Parish Hall would receive £58,911 towards the cost of purchasing and installing cladding and insulation to improve the energy efficiency of the building. A further £11,078 will be used in Barnstaple to install a permanent ball rebound fence at Tarka Leisure Centre's grass football pitch, the council said. Council leader David Clayton said he looked forward to seeing the improvements of community facilities "take shape in the near future"."It's very pleasing to see public open space funding being put to good use to improve community facilities and bring even more benefits to those who use them," he funding was approved by the council's Strategy and Resources Committee on 7 July.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for new solar farm on 108 acres of land in Devon
Plans for a new solar farm on 108 acres (44 hectares) of land is being proposed in Development, which builds and operates renewable energy projects, is applying for planning permission from North Devon Council for farmland south of Buttercombe Lane, Braunton, after holding two public consultation events last farm is being proposed together with a sub-station, cabling, CCTV and Devon Council is due to decide on the planning application at a future date, but people have until 6 July to make representations. Offset annual electricity A recent survey has revealed 40% of respondents opposed the development, with 13% in support and 47% were raised around the scale of the project, visual impact, ecology and biodiversity applicant's planning documents stated it had made changes to the design and layout, including a larger buffer zone between the development and ancient woodland and other locally important has also amended a cable route, reducing the need for hedgerow removal, and landscaping and biodiversity cumulative effect of solar farms, of which there are four others in the area, was also highlighted as a concern. The 15MW (megawatt) solar array would offset annual electricity usage of approximately 8,600 homes and save approximately 4,275 tonnes of CO2 per year, the applicants site is within 2km (1.2 miles) of four sites of special scientific interest (SSSI).The company's environmental statement has concluded the effects on protected areas would be "negligible and not significant" because of limited habitat changes and enhancement measures in the England said the application "successfully avoided causing harm" to the nearby Grade II* listed Ash Barton farmhouse and its estate as far as possible, through "buffer planting, undeveloped zones, bolstering of existing hedges, etc" and therefore it does not lighting would not be required, but pole-mounted CCTV would be in place around the perimeter, the application was expected to take about six months, with up to 12 two-way HGV trips a day, but none on Sundays or bank holidays, it added.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Devon council to pay £250k to stop maintaining beach toilet
North Devon Council has agreed to pay £250,000 to surrender a lease agreement, meaning it will no longer operate and maintain public toilets on Saunton council entered into a 50-year lease to run the car park toilets with the landowners Christie Estates in 2002 but said the associated costs are now about £48,000 a strategy and resources committee approved the move on Monday and said more than £1m could be saved over the next 27 said Christie Estates could manage the facilities more effectively using their on-site staff and refurbish them with the money from the council. A small team of cleaners were struggling to keep the popular location's toilets maintained, according to the Local Democracy Reporting toilets needed a complete refurbishment after 23 years of heavy use which was estimated at a further £250,000, a report for councillors authority had looked at installing a payment system at the toilets to mitigate some costs, but this was refused by the beach lavatories owned and managed by beach owners are kept in much higher standard than those at Saunton beach car park, according to the members were told that closing the toilets was not an option. The council's director of resources Jon Triggs said when the lease was signed in 2002 it was "a different time" when the district council ran many more public conveniences than it did the last couple of years it had made the decision to pass public loos to town and parish councils."This gives us an opportunity to escape from the lease," he said. "It's a financial consideration but will make significant savings moving forward." The council's lease will be surrendered in November.
