80 Atlantic Way, Westward Ho! – 14 New Homes – Permitted
2 December, 2014
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About The Torridge District
Torridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Bideford. Other towns and villages in the district include Holsworthy, Great Torrington, Hartland, Clovelly, Bradworthy, Shebbear and Westward Ho!. The island of Lundy is administratively part of the District. To the south of the district bordering North Cornwall, near Welcombe, the rugged coastline has a wild untouched beauty, due to its inaccessibility, but the South West Coast Path is well defined.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the boroughs of Bideford and Great Torrington, the Northam urban district, Bideford Rural District, Holsworthy Rural District and Torrington Rural District. It is named after the River Torridge.
It has a population of 64,000 approx. In 2011 the Office for National Statistics survey showed that the lowest-paid jobs in the UK were in Torridge on average at £333 a week. Figures taken from the Private Sector House Condition Survey show that in 2010 there were some 30,900 homes in the District of which 21,300 (69%) were owner occupied, 7,200 (23%) were privately rented and 2,400 (8%) were owned by housing associations.
Agriculture and Tourism form the backbone of the economy. A large part of North Devon and Torridge was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by Unesco. The exceptional unspoilt landscapes and coastal scenery, its small market towns and peaceful rural villages, the tranquility and unpolluted dark skies, all contribute to the district being an attractive place to live, work or visit.
