The Strategy and Resources Committee of North Devon Council met to discuss a range of topics, including local government reorganisation, governance review, increasing solar generation, and council-owned marine facilities. The committee also reviewed and updated the council's carbon, environment, and biodiversity plan. Finally, they were scheduled to discuss the disposal of land at Seven Brethren in Barnstaple, though this discussion was expected to be held in confidential session.

Council Owned Marine Facilities

The committee was scheduled to discuss a joint report regarding council-owned marine facilities, prepared by Georgina Carlo-Paat, Ilfracombe Harbour Master, Alex Miles, Business Continuity and Emergency Planning Officer, and Tara Jenkins, Senior Engineer. North Devon Council owns three marine facilities: Fremington Quay, Castle Quay, and Rolle Quay. The report pack stated that the council is identified as the duty holder for these marine facilities.

The report pack stated that a new Port & Marine Facility Safety Code (the Code) was released in April 2025, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) requires all duty holders to report their compliance within a three-month window beginning in January 2026.

The report pack stated that a project team was formed to investigate the status of the marine facilities against the Code and to formulate options for the future of these assets. The report pack stated that a scoping exercise determined that nine of the ten key measures set out in the Code applied to the marine facilities. A baseline audit concluded that none of the marine facilities were in full compliance with the Code. The only key measure in compliance was the identification of the duty holder.

The report pack stated that a marine traffic usage survey was undertaken, which informed the recommendations. The survey recorded:

• Fremington Quay: No known usage
• Castle Quay: Occasional small vessel usage
• Rolle Quay: No known usage

The report pack stated that a high-level costing exercise was carried out to look at costs associated with bringing these facilities up to the Code, versus removing all marine-associated infrastructure. The report pack stated that the exercise concluded that there would be a cost in either case, and the quay walls need substantial funding. The costs were separated to show the marine element and the wall costs.

The report pack stated that there is a low expectation that any costs incurred could be recouped, and a decision is required before works can move forward as to the continuance of these areas as marine facilities.

The report pack stated that under the Code, a slipway alone could be classed as a marine facility if certain criteria are met, but they do not require the level of compliance that a full marine facility does. A number of slipways have been identified under the ownership of the council, including:

• Hele Bay
• Lee Bay
• Castle Quay
• Rolle Quay

The report pack stated that these slipways will require:

• Appointment of Designated Person
• Nomination of Management Department (Engineers)
• Written procedures for maintenance inclusive of cleaning schedule
• Ensuring they are fit for purpose with adequate lighting, lifesaving equipment, and good surface

The report pack stated that for all marine facilities, the council has a duty to report compliance every three years to the Department for Transport, with annual internal audits. In addition, a three-year external audit is also required.

The report pack stated that several factors were considered, and both removing and retaining maritime facilities come with cost and risk impacts. Each site was reviewed in further detail:

• Fremington Quay
  • Water-based vessel traffic: None recorded or identified
  • Permanently Moored vessel: None
  • Marine Condition: Very poor
  • Marine Risk: High
  • Cost: To remove marine-related infrastructure approximately £40,000, to retain approximately £322,000 (both dependent on survey report)
  • Conclusion: Recommendation concludes removing all marine-related infrastructure based on no vessel use.
• Rolle Quay
  • Water-based vessel traffic: None recorded or identified
  • Permanently Moored vessel: Ten unauthorised vessels of varying lengths
  • Marine Condition: Poor
  • Marine Risk: High (associated with unauthorised use of ladders installed by vessel owners)
  • Cost: To remove marine-related infrastructure approximately £15,000, to retain approximately £89,000 (both dependent on survey report)
  • Conclusion: Recommendation concludes removing all marine-related infrastructure based on no vessel use.
• Castle Quay
  • Water-based vessel traffic: Occasional use
  • Permanently Moored vessel: None
  • Marine Condition: Moderate
  • Marine Risk: Medium
  • Cost: To remove marine-related infrastructure approximately £20,000, to retain approximately £44,500 (both dependent on survey report)
  • Conclusion: Recommendation concludes removing all marine-related infrastructure based on low vessel use.

The report pack stated that doing nothing comes with serious repercussions for non-compliance. Under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, as amended, the maximum fine could be £250,000 per person and up to five years in prison if prosecuted under the clause unsafe operations – owners, operators, and users. For the Health & Safety at Work Act, 1974, fines and prosecution are unlimited.

The report pack stated that in any event, there will be resource implications. A structural survey will be required on all sites, approximately £10,000 per site, to determine the effects of removing and/or replacing the marine infrastructure on the river walls. The outcome of these surveys could potentially add additional costs.

The report pack stated that to retain Fremington as a marine facility would cost approximately £322,000, and to remove all marine infrastructure would cost approximately £40,000. To retain Castle Quay as a marine facility would cost approximately £44,500, and to remove all marine infrastructure would cost approximately £20,000. To retain Rolle Quay as a marine facility would cost approximately £89,000, and to remove all marine infrastructure would cost approximately £15,000.

The report pack stated that these one-off high-level cost estimates cover: resurfacing; compliant ladders, fendering; mooring bollards and or rings; lighting; signage and lifesaving appliances, underwater hazard marker & signage; safety railings. These come with higher cost implication for a marine and tidal environment.

The report pack stated that none of these facilities generate an income to the council as a marine facility.

The report pack stated that this project is requiring support from the Harbour team, Property team, including engineers, the Emergency Planning officer, the Programme Management office, legal, and finance.

The report pack stated that the impact is uncertain until vessel owners and marine facility users are established and identified. A preliminary assessment supports this report.

The report pack stated that there will be implications dependent on the action taken in the future, and this will be considered as the project develops.

The report pack stated that officers considered that the preferred option would be that all marine infrastructure should be removed across all three sites to remove the necessity to comply with the Code.

The report pack stated that in order to confirm the preferred option, the committee was to consider recommending a revenue budget allocation of £30,000 (£10,000 per site) to be funded from the Strategic contingency reserve for full structural surveys of each quay. This is to determine the status of the quay walls and the effects of removing the marine infrastructure and the level of work needed to reach compliance.

The report pack stated that a further report will be brought back to Strategy and Resources following the completion of the surveys if it materially changes the advice given in this report.

LGA Governance Review

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report by Jon Triggs, Director of Resources and Deputy Chief Executive, regarding the Local Government Association (LGA) governance review.

The report pack stated that North Devon Council requested that the LGA undertake a standalone governance review, with specific focus on the overview and scrutiny function. The review report from the LGA was presented to members at Policy Development Committee on 12 June 2025.

The report pack stated that the report seeks to update members of this committee on the recommendations from the LGA Peer Review Team, together with the discussions, proposed action plan, and resolutions agreed by Policy Development Committee following their meeting in June 2025.

The report pack stated that in February 2025, the LGA peer review team were asked to review the council's governance arrangements with particular focus on the following three themes:

• Review the effectiveness of Policy Development Committee
• The potential for more formal scrutiny arrangements
• Overall review of governance effectiveness

The report pack stated that the report referenced the excellent work of the Policy Development Committee on the specific areas of review, such as dental provision, water quality, and agriculture. However, it referenced that councillors on that committee felt unable to comment on or amend reports that had previously been presented to group leaders on the Strategy and Resources Committee.

The report pack stated that the report suggests that the current arrangement of reviewing reports at Policy Development Committee after they have been 'signed off' by Strategy and Resources Committee does not present the opportunity for any level of scrutiny. Working Groups are a feature of any scrutiny function and are used to 'deep dive' into particular topics. However, most Working Groups currently report directly to the Strategy and Resources Committee.

The report pack stated that North Devon Council has in place the main elements of good governance, with risk registers, an annual governance statement, and codes of conduct. The review of the risk register is a scrutiny function carried out by the Governance Committee. At the time of the review, there were councillors that sat on Strategy and Resources Committee and either Policy Development or Governance Committee, which makes it harder to hold the Strategy and Resources committee to account. At the time of the review, the Strategy and Resources Committee did not have a work programme, again it is harder to hold the committee to account without awareness of forthcoming agenda items.

The report pack stated that the peer review team made a number of recommendations to address the above points:

1. Review the Terms of Reference for the Strategy and Resources, Policy Development, and Governance Committees to add clarity and remove duplication
2. Develop a work programme for the Strategy and Resources Committee, to work alongside those of the Policy Development and Governance Committees. These work programmes should complement each other and be informed by the council plans and priorities. Each committee should produce an annual report showing outcomes achieved.
3. Working groups should report into Policy Development Committee before Strategy and Resources, to strengthen the overview function
4. Review the role of lead members. Align lead members with the council priority areas and consider making them all members of Strategy and Resources. Lead members present an update to Policy Development rather than Full Council so that lead members are more effectively held to account
5. Review committee membership so that councillors cannot sit on more than one of the Strategy and Resources, Policy Development, or Governance Committees.
6. Review the most effective way to manage and present performance reports i.e. separate reports for finance and service performance. Presenting performance information by exception and providing further comprehensive training on these reports.

The report pack stated that a draft action plan, with proposed timescales to address the above recommendations, was considered at the meeting of Policy Development on 12 June 2025. The discussions that took place and the agreed actions to be implemented are outlined in the Appendix B LGA Governance Review.

The report pack stated that the agreed actions following the above-mentioned Policy Development meeting do result in some minor Constitutional amendments and changes to the committee timetable, which will be considered by both the Governance Committee and Full Council at its meetings in September 2025 and Full Council in April 2026.

Increasing Solar Generation on Council-Owned Properties

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report by Donna Sibley, Sustainability and Climate Officer, setting out where the council could potentially install solar power on council-owned buildings, to reduce energy use and carbon footprint and to save money.

The report pack stated that approximately 6% of the council's reported annual carbon footprint relates to electricity use in its buildings, a total of 212 tonnes of carbon (measured as tonnes CO2 equivalent, tCO2e). There are opportunities to reduce this and save money by installing rooftop solar power on suitable properties.

The report pack stated that the council has small solar arrays on its new-build Waste & Recycling office (4kWp) and on some of its Temporary Accommodation (total of 14.5 kWp across 6 properties). The council is planning to install solar panels at 37 Boutport Street in 2026, size of the array is unknown at present.

The report pack stated that two further properties either now have or will shortly have solar panels. The council has received funding from Sport England's Swimming Pool Support Fund and has installed a 51.7 kWp array at Ilfracombe Swimming Pool. The council is also planning to install solar panels at North Devon Crematorium in 2025.

The report pack stated that the council has heat decarbonisation plans for most of the council's buildings, which calculate their energy use and set out how the council can save money and reduce carbon emissions through improving energy efficiency and installing renewable energy generation. All the usage figures in these reports relate to the year in which they were surveyed (2021, 2022, or 2023).

The report pack included a chart showing absolute carbon emissions, highlighting that the Brynsworthy Environment Centre site is energy intensive given the long operating hours, industrial nature of the site, and also that it has large open-plan offices and welfare facilities. Other sites with high emissions are the two theatres and Ilfracombe swimming pool (pre-solar installation).

The report pack stated that with regard to electricity usage per site, there is a large variation across the estate between 15 and 360 kilowatt hours per square metre per year (kWh/sqm/yr), with the Queen's Theatre being the most electrically intensive building due to the ventilation, lighting (including stage lighting), and long operational hours. Some of the smaller buildings appear very energy intensive due to the equipment on site as well as their relatively small floor areas.

The report pack stated that the heat decarbonisation plans identified 15 properties for solar panel installation, including Ilfracombe Pool and North Devon Crematorium (2 buildings) which have been/are being addressed. Another two buildings are not suitable due to historic environment considerations, and another may not be suitable for the same reason.

The report pack stated that heat decarbonisation plans for the remaining nine properties state that the estimated cost of installing solar panels was £982,891, potentially saving over 550,000 kWh and 75 tonnes of carbon (tCO2e) every year. Simple payback was estimated between 4.56 and 11.5 years.

The report pack stated that there is a discrepancy between the electricity usage and carbon information in the council's heat decarbonisation plans and the council's annually reported carbon footprint. This is because not all tenants provide annual usage information to the Environmental Enhancement team. Investment in renewable energy generation on some of the council's tenanted properties would not decrease the council's own energy use or reported carbon footprint and would not give cost savings to the council.

The report pack stated that of the remaining nine properties assessed as suitable for solar, the following were identified as giving the council the greatest potential for cost savings:

• Brynsworthy Environment Centre
• Green Lanes Shopping Centre
• Barnstaple Pannier Market
• Barnstaple Bus Station

The report pack stated that the council is already investigating the potential for solar at Brynsworthy as part of a wider electrical masterplan for the site, which is looking at the replacement of the council's oil boiler with a heat pump as well as EV chargepoints. Solar panels here would offset the increased electricity usage of the heat pump. Brynsworthy is a complicated site, and close liaison is needed with National Grid to understand the full cost implications of proposed projects.

The report pack stated that the council can use its existing climate budget to work up proposals for a limited number of properties that will allow councillors to understand the budget implications (costs, benefits, and payback) of installing solar at these sites.

The report pack stated that a specialist consultant will be contracted to work up costed plans for the sites mentioned above. The consultant fees can be funded using existing budgets.

2025 Update of Council Carbon, Environment & Biodiversity Plan

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report by Donna Sibley, Sustainability and Climate Officer, regarding the 2025 update of the Council Carbon, Environment & Biodiversity Plan.

The report pack stated that in July 2019, North Devon Council signed up to the Devon Climate Emergency Declaration. The council is committed to having a carbon plan and to reviewing this plan annually. The first Carbon, Environment, and Biodiversity Plan was published in June 2022. This is the third annual review.

The report pack stated that wording for the third annual review of the council's Carbon, Environment, and Biodiversity Plan has mostly been taken from the past 12 months of Programme Management Office reports, which have previously been presented to this committee. This update has been discussed by the Councillor Climate Action Team, who put forward the plan for approval by Strategy & Resources.

The report pack stated that the updated action plan is attached to this report.

The report pack stated that while the Carbon Plan does not specify any specific investment required from North Devon District Council, it does highlight areas where financial impacts may occur in the future as the council moves towards its stated climate ambitions.

The report pack included the council's actions to reduce its emissions to net zero by 2030, including actions relating to buildings, vehicles, parks and land, and how the council is run.

The report pack also included the council's actions to reduce district emissions to net zero by 2050, including actions relating to energy, transport, planning, nature, waste and recycling, and communities.

The report pack stated that progress with the delivery of the council's actions to meet its net zero by 2030 target have been assessed as green, amber, or red.

The report pack stated that progress with the delivery of the council's action to meet the UK and Devon's net zero by 2050 target can be found at the Devon Climate Emergency website.

The report pack stated that the council can play a leadership role on climate issues in North Devon by reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions. The council has set an ambitious target to reduce its direct emissions from its buildings, fleet vehicles, and services to net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Some parts of the carbon management plan to achieve this are costed and funded, others will need development in the next few years.

The report pack stated that the council's carbon footprint shows that in 2023/2024, the council's operations resulted in 3425 tonnes of greenhouse gases (measured as tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) being emitted.

The report pack stated that while progress has been made towards the council's Net Zero by 2030 goal, the trajectory shows the council will not reach this goal without drastic measures. Councillors have been faced with the reality of the significant expenditure they will need to approve to reduce the council's carbon footprint.

The report pack stated that the council's red diesel sales to marine vessels in Ilfracombe Harbour contribute significantly to the council's carbon footprint. While ceasing sales or offloading this service to another provider would reduce the council's footprint significantly, it would not improve emissions in the local area, negating the principle of the policy. Councillors, therefore, acted with integrity and accepted this limitation to the council's Net Zero journey until a sustainable alternative fuel is developed for marine transport.

Work Programme 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to consider its work programme for 2025-26.

The following items were scheduled for discussion:

1 September 2025

• Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
• Increasing Solar Generation on Council-owned Properties
• 2025 Update of Council Carbon, Environment, and Biodiversity Plan
• LGA Governance Review
• Disposal of Plot 3 and 3b Seven Brethren, Barnstaple
• Council Marine Facilities

6 October 2025

• Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
• Ilfracombe Sea Pool
• Barnstaple – Work Programme
• Park Team Depot
• Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Fees Policy
• Update regarding Lynbridge Car Park, Lynton
• Biosphere - Consultation on Strategy
• Air Quality Strategy

3 November 2025

• Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
• Performance and Financial Management Quarter 2 of 2025/26 - Finance
• Performance and Financial Management Quarter 2 of 2025/26 – Programme
• Mid-Year Treasury Management Report 2025/26

1 December 2025

• No items currently scheduled for this meeting

5 January 2026

• Council Tax Reduction Scheme
• Council Tax Discounts and Premiums

2 February 2026

• Performance and Financial Management Quarter 3 2025/26 – Finance
• Performance and Financial Management Quarter 3 2025/26 – Programme
• Review of Fees and Charges for Services 2026-27
• Revenue Budget 2026-27, Capital Programme and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2026-27 to 2031-32
• Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2026-27
• 10 Year Capital Strategy 2026-2036

2 March 2026

• No items currently scheduled for this meeting

13 April 2026

• No items currently scheduled for this meeting