The wait is finally over for South Hams communities that applied to the Community Re-investment Projects Fund.

Eight community infrastructure projects received a big thumbs up from South Hams District Council, to be allocated money from its Community Re-Investment Projects Fund.

Members of the Executive Committee met on February 1 to decide which community projects to fund. There were a range of applications totalling almost £350,000, which included a cinema, playground, several refurbishments, and even a car park.

Cinema for Ivybridge, playground for Loddiswell Primary School, Ugborough Village Hall roof refurbishment, replacement of the Totnes Skate Park, Malborough Village Hall car park, Blackawton Community Shop relocation project, Totnes and Bridgetown Parochial Church Council ‘Windows of opportunity’ Project and Slapton Community Shop were all given grants.

Cinema for Ivybridge, applied for £58,748 through Ivybridge Town Council towards the £65,748 project to upgrade the existing cinema facility, offering modern equipment including projectors, sound system, screen and lighting, to increase the ability to offer a wider range of films. They were awarded £40,303.

Loddiswell Parish Council applied for £7,000 towards the £13,893 cost of creating a playground at the new primary school that is currently being built in the village. They were awarded £7,000.

Ugborough Village Hall applied for £20,000 towards the £37,000 village hall roof refurbishment to replace the failing existing roof, which has broken tiles, rotten fascias and sofits and leaks in several locations. They were awarded £20,000.

Totnes Skate park applied for £57,650 towards the replacement skate park in Borough Park, enlarging the footprint, improving the variety and quality of features and making it more appealing for a wider age range, a project that is expected to cost £200,000. They were awarded £31,000.

Malborough Parish Council applied for £15,000 towards creating 52 additional parking spaces including four more disabled spaces, incorporating a safer one-way system through the carpark, and also improved and level access for disabled visitors to the Malborough Village Hall carpark. The project is expected to cost £45,000. They were awarded £10,000.

Blackawton Community Shop applied for £34,545 towards the shop relocation project following the closure of the village shop and Post Office, expected to cost £42,000. They were awarded £20,000.

Slapton Community Shop applied for £5,597, the full cost of equipment, fixtures and fittings for a temporary community shop. They were awarded £5,597.

Totnes and Bridgetown Parochial Church Council applied for £55,386 for the ‘Windows of Opportunity’ project that will replace a number of window which were replaced after a fire in 1976. At that time an economic option was followed for softwood frames which have since rapidly deteriorated, allowing ingress of water and may be unstable. The entire project is expected to cost £265,824. They were awarded £20,000.

The Fund, which was launched in October 2013, supports community infrastructure projects. It was created using the New Homes Bonus from recent developments, supporting applications from a variety of town and parish councils, as well as voluntary and community groups in areas where the developments are taking place.

South Hams District Cllr Hilary Bastone said: “All of the projects were worthy of funding but because there was only £153 900 in the kitty, a tough decision had to be made to choose only eight. Each project was chosen based on community need, whether it provides or improves community infrastructure, and also based on whether there is support for the project from the community.

“Since the Fund began in 2013, it has supported over 25 projects from a variety of voluntary and community groups across the South Hams. The number of applications and enthusiasm from our communities reflect the importance of maintaining and improving community infrastructure in our South Hams towns and villages.”