Torridge District Council's Community and Resources Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday 13 October 2025 to discuss a range of issues, including updates to the council's carbon footprint and biodiversity plan, cycling in Victoria Park, and planning enforcement. The meeting will also cover the costs and benefits of purchasing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for the council's fleet. Some items, including a report on moorings, will be discussed in a closed session due to the likely disclosure of exempt information.

Carbon Reduction and Environmental Strategy

The committee is scheduled to discuss several reports related to the council's environmental performance and carbon reduction targets.

Carbon Footprint Update

The committee will receive the 2025 update to Torridge District Council's Carbon Footprint. The report pack states that the council is committed to publishing their carbon footprint annually, in line with the Devon Climate Emergency Declaration signed in July 2019.

The report highlights a total carbon footprint of 1637 tonnes carbon equivalent for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The report also notes that there have been errors in the baseline carbon footprint data from 2021, which have now been corrected for all years except 2020/2021. The report pack states that the increase in the council's carbon footprint since 2021/2022 is due to the inclusion of three leisure sites in the calculation. The report pack states that there has been little or no investment in reducing emissions from the council's existing estate in the past six years, but that there has been some investment in reducing emissions from transport, including the purchase of electric vehicles for the Estates team.

The report pack states that officers recommend that the council re-examines its climate commitments, with a view to extending the target date for the council to be carbon neutral, because the council is not on track to meet its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The report pack includes a detailed explanation of the carbon footprint, breaking down emissions into scopes 1, 2, and 3¹.

Carbon, Environment, and Biodiversity Plan

The committee will also consider the 2025 update to Torridge District Council's Carbon, Environment & Biodiversity Plan. The report pack states that the updated action plan has been discussed by the Councillor Climate Change Working Group, who have put forward the plan for approval.

Councillor Peter Hames, Group Leader and Lead Member for Climate Change, is quoted in the report pack, saying:

The Carbon Report shows further progress in reducing the Council's net zero carbon emissions but clearly actions need to be intensified if the Council is to reach its 2030 target. I refer particularly to the opportunities to replace the Council's diesel vans with EVs, now that EV travel range has increased and capital cost has come down, and the urgent need to replace the failed EV charging points in our car parks with reliable installations. It is also imperative that the Council's property maintenance plan is finalised so that energy efficient and carbon reduction measures can be implemented in the Council's buildings. Regarding biodiversity the Climate Emergency Working Group has recently recommended tree planting plans on a selection of TDC sites which could be progressed relatively quickly.

The report pack includes a table assessing progress with delivery of the council's actions to meet its carbon neutral by 2030 target, using a traffic light system. Green indicates an action has been completed or significant progress is being made, amber indicates some progress is being made but not quickly enough or at scale, and red indicates little or no progress is being made.

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)

The committee will discuss a report from the Councillor Climate Emergency Working Group on the costs and benefits of purchasing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for Torridge's fleet. The report pack states that the most recent carbon footprint calculation shows that approximately 40% of the council's total carbon footprint is associated with its fleet vehicles.

The report pack states that HVO is a renewable fuel derived from various feedstocks, including vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils, and that it can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. Suppliers claim that HVO can reduce vehicle emissions by up to 90%.

However, the report pack also raises concerns about the wider sustainability of HVO, noting that the supply chains are complex and opaque, and that there is strong evidence that the sharp increase in demand is driving an increase in palm oil derived HVO, contributing to global deforestation. The report pack also notes that the Department of Transport launched an investigation into HVO in April 2025 after industry whistleblowers said they believe large amounts of feedstock are not waste but instead are virgin palm oil, which is being fraudulently relabelled.

The report pack states that if Torridge District Council were to purchase HVO, they would need to investigate suppliers to ensure that it does not contain palm oil, that feedstocks are sourced locally, that it is derived from waste products, and that it does not contribute to land use change, either directly or indirectly.

The report pack states that the additional cost to the council of using HVO in its fleet would be between £70,180 - £124,410 per year, depending on the supplier chosen and availability of bulk discounts.

Councillor Chris Leather, Lead Member for Operational Services, is quoted in the report pack as saying that they cannot support the huge increase in cost that this proposal would cause to the council's Waste Services.

Cycling in Victoria Park

The committee is scheduled to discuss a report regarding cycling through Victoria Park, Bideford. The report pack states that the Torridge District Council Active Travel working group recognise Victoria Park as an area that could promote cycling for recreational use, as well as being part of an essential link from Bideford Quay to Northam and Westward Ho!.

The report pack states that Victoria Park currently has an historic by-law prohibiting cycling within the park, but that it is felt that this could be overturned to create a safer route for cyclists. The report pack states that the current pathways of the proposed shared route are wide enough and of a good enough quality to use straight away, and would just require suitable signage and floor painting to encourage safe and responsible usage by all. The report pack also suggests that a code of conduct is written and followed for guidance.

The report pack lists the advantages of the proposal as:

• Active travel being recognised as playing an important role in the health and wellbeing of people within communities.
• Active travel playing an important role in the authority towards climate change and its carbon net zero ambitions.
• Cycling through the park providing a suitable space for young people to learn and develop their cycling skills in a safer environment.
• The route forming part of a link from Bideford Quay towards Northam/Westward Ho!, which would help toward reducing congestion by commuters wishing to cycle to Bideford for either work or recreation purposes.
• The scheme being a relatively cost effective project.
• The council managing the scheme and therefore being able to reverse any decisions should it prove unpopular.

The report pack lists the disadvantages of the proposal as:

• Potential for conflict with pedestrians.
• Injuries could occur where safe practice is not followed.

The report pack includes a map of the proposed route, as well as costings for signage. The report pack states that to carry out standard Torridge District Council car park style signage throughout the route would cost approximately £600, and would all be done in house at Torridge District Council.

Planning Enforcement

The committee will receive a report from the Planning Manager regarding planning enforcement. The report pack states that the purpose of the report is to consider a proposal to adopt a new Local Enforcement Plan.

The report pack states that the key objective for the Enforcement Plan is to ensure that investigations into breaches of planning control are prioritised appropriately having regard to scale of harm, and to ensure subsequent action is proportionate. It also aims to deliver consistency in the council's approach to how breaches of planning control are dealt with, along with wider transparency and understanding of the enforcement process.

The report pack states that the council has an adopted Enforcement Plan from 2019, but that this is out of date in several legislative areas, such as the enforcement regime changes introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act². The report pack also states that the approach directed by the current plan, and associated measures reported through the QBR³, are not considered to be fit for purpose or reflective of the day-to-day work of the Enforcement Team. The report pack includes a table showing the total number of enforcement cases received by the council since 2020:

The report pack states that the Planning Enforcement Service is resourced with 2 permanent full-time Enforcement Officers, who typically have in the region of 250 cases between them that are 'active' at any one time.

The report pack states that the 2019 Enforcement Plan prioritises investigations as either 'High Priority' or 'Medium Priority'. High Priority breaches are those which cause irrevocable harm, such as unauthorised demolition of a listed building or unauthorised works to trees covered by a tree preservation order⁴. Medium Priority breaches are all other alleged breaches. The report pack states that the proposed amendments to the Enforcement Plan seek to allow the Enforcement Team to ensure that breaches of planning control are dealt with effectively and in a transparent way. It will also help Officers manage expectations by referring people to the formally adopted process and standards. The new (draft) Enforcement Plan is not an update to the 2019 version, but a new document setting out the approach and priorities for the council's Planning Enforcement Team in 2025.

The report pack states that, in view of the significant numbers of complaints that are received each year (circa 300), and to ensure efficient use of council resources, each complaint received will be priority assessed before logging. This approach ensures that those breaches of planning control that are causing the greatest public harm are acted upon as quickly as possible.

The report pack states that the draft Plan goes on to explain how investigations into breaches of planning control are to be prioritised, updating the 2019 iteration to introduce 3 priority levels: 'highest', 'medium', and 'lower'. The priority of a case is reflected in the timescale within which an investigation will be actioned.

The report pack includes a table setting out the Priority levels and the associated timescale for action:

The report pack includes a draft of the new Local Enforcement Plan.

Other Matters

The committee will also discuss the Community and Resources Committee Forward Plan for 2025/26, and will receive public contributions in accordance with the current scheme.