AMENDED REISSUE - PLEASE USE THIS VERSION - Torridge District Council welcomes Minister Alex Norris MP to Torridge

On Thursday 4 September 2025, representatives from Torridge District Council welcomed Alex Norris, MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to Torridge to visit some of the projects that have benefitted from a recent injection of government funding.

Earlier this year, Torridge District Council confirmed that it had been awarded just over £20,000,000 in capital investment with £250,000 revenue funding to support several projects to benefit residents across the district. 

During his visit, Minister Norris, met with Council Leader Cllr Ken James and representatives from some of the projects, and visited some of the projects which have been funded by the government’s Community Regeneration Partnership Scheme, to learn about how the initiatives are progressing.  These projects support the council’s strategic ambitions and are designed to deliver lasting benefits to Torridge.  The regional tour included:

The Globe Hotel, Great Torrington – currently a derelict building being repurposed into a community training hotel, which will offer skills and tourism whilst also creating new community spaces.  The building is owned by local people through a community share offer with Community Partnership Funding of £526,000 being used to carry out redevelopment works.

Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre – a brand-new centre which will provide research and development space for next generation sustainable maritime initiatives.  Beyond its industrial goals, the Centre aims to inspire local pride, nurturing aspiration across all age groups and to encourage the development of new skills and the ability to access higher-earning employment.

Bideford Pannier Market – an historic market which is going to benefit from £1.5 million Community Regeneration Partnership funding to modernise and improve the site to make it fit for future and wider use.

Councillor Ken James, Leader of Torridge District Council, said:

“It was a pleasure to host Minister Norris and to show him just a few of the transformative projects that are benefitting from this investment across the district.  Securing investment like this is vital for our area and improving the long-term economic opportunities for the region.  We look forward to continuing to work with the Minister’s office to keep them updated on the progress of these exciting projects and to ensure that we can maximise on any future opportunities, and I have personally invited Minister Norris to visit again in 2026 to officially open the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre.”

Local Growth Minister Alex Norris said:

“It has been fantastic to see project delivery underway across Torridge - meaning residents will start to feel the benefit of more job opportunities, new investment and new community spaces.

“Our Community Regeneration Partnership was designed to tackle the issues that really matter to local people and provide the growth that puts more money in people’s pockets as committed in our Plan for Change, and that’s exactly what it’s achieving.”

Rt. Hon. Sir Geoffrey Cox KC, MP for Torridge and Tavistock, said:  

"I am grateful to the Minister for taking the time to visit Torridge to reinforce the government's commitment to delivering on Torridge's £20 million allocation of the Community Regeneration Partnership Scheme. With my strong advocacy, the previous Conservative Government embraced a bold and innovative policy of bespoke partnerships between central and local government, designed to regenerate communities like ours that have never before received investment on this scale. This visit reflects the tangible progress being made, and the transformative benefits that this unprecedented investment will soon bring to Torridge."