AT a meeting of North Devon Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee on Tuesday, September 1, councillors agreed to allocate more than £19,000 of funding towards improvements to community spaces in the district.

Just over £9,000 will go towards drainage works at South Molton Rugby Club and £10,000 will go towards the refurbishment of the clubhouse at Combe Martin Football Club.

South Molton Rugby Club has three pitches distributed across three sites in the town used by approximately 40 adults and 200 juniors on a weekly basis.

Carrying out drainage works will allow more playing time on the pitches and ensure they do not become flooded.

Combe Martin Parish Council and Combe Martin Football Club will be working together to develop and deliver an ambitious range of phased projects.

These projects will see the refurbishment of the clubhouse doors, windows and roof along with the improvement of facilities. Combe Martin Parish Council has secured a quotation and works are scheduled to commence soon.

Leader of North Devon Council, and local ward member for South Molton, Councillor David Worden, says: “These types of project allows us to provide facilities which benefit our communities the most. As leader, being able to see the council provide much needed public amenities through funding from local developments is a great privilege.

"As ward member for South Molton I am pleased to see funding from local developments providing sports facilities for our residents.”

Local ward member for South Molton, Councillor Paul Henderson, says: "As a former player for the club, I’m very aware that over the years South Molton Rugby Club - which is comprised solely of volunteers - has continually striven to improve the condition of their pitches. I’m delighted that both the current and next generation of South Molton players will now benefit from this investment."

Under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, contributions can be sought from developers towards the costs of providing extra community and social infrastructure as a result of the impact of a new development.

These contributions can only be used for certain things, but are used primarily for public open space projects.