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Funding bid success for Ilfracombe Watersports Centre project

An additional £1.5m is on it’s way to help finance building the new Ilfracombe Watersports Centre following a successful funding bid by North Devon Council.

In August the council was invited by The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) to develop a business case to bid for additional funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund for the project. The watersports centre was selected as a suitable project because it is ‘shovel ready’ with the council being able to demonstrate that it would create jobs, support economic recovery across the South West and that spending on the project would be complete by March 2022.

Now that funding has been confirmed contractors have been invited to tender for the project. Pending a successful tender process it is hoped work will start on site by April 2021 with completion of the project approximately 10 months later.

Lead Member for Economic Development at North Devon Council, Councillor Malcolm Prowse, says: “It’s fantastic news for the Ilfracombe Watersports Centre project that our funding bid was successful. Our project team have worked tirelessly on the bid so I’m delighted this hard work has paid off and we can now get going on this project.

“Once completed the watersports centre will be a real investment and asset for Ilfracombe as well as a welcome boost for the North Devon economy and tourism. We’re so lucky here in North Devon to be surrounded by fantastic coastline so the new centre will be a real opportunity for our residents to get out there and make the most of it from the water.”

Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Karl Tucker, says: “The HotSW LEP’s Getting Building Fund aims to support ready-to-go projects that will deliver new jobs and contribute to our area’s post-COVID recovery. We are pleased to have agreed just over £1.5 million from this fund towards the building of the new Ilfracombe Watersports Centre, which will support the local economic recovery, create jobs and provide a great new facility for both tourists and residents to benefit from.”

Residents can stay up-to-date with news and developments on the project by following the council’s Facebook @northdevoncouncil and twitter @ndevoncouncil pages.

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      David Ralph

      Chief Executive

      David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

      Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

      David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.