Block Management in North Devon
North Devon second homes have carried a 100 per cent council tax premium since April 2025.
Across North Devon, Plymouth Block Management offers block, estate and leasehold management to residents' management companies, RTM companies and freeholders, 63 miles from our Plymouth head office. Flats make up 14.1 per cent of households, mostly in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. Planning runs on a local plan shared with Torridge, and Devon's districts are to be replaced by four unitary councils by April 2028, subject to Parliamentary approval.
What We Would Put First for a Block in North Devon
Confirm the Right Authority for Exmoor Blocks
Part of what people call North Devon lies inside Exmoor National Park, which has its own planning authority. For a block there we would obtain consents from the National Park Authority rather than North Devon Council before specifying works.
ConsentsKeep Records Ready for Reorganisation
Devon County Council and its eight districts are to be replaced by four unitary councils, implemented by April 2028 subject to Parliamentary approval. We would keep the compliance record and consent history in a form that transfers cleanly to the new authority.
ComplianceReview Cover for Estuary and Coastal Blocks
The coastal alert runs from Hartland Point to Lynmouth, including the Taw and Torridge estuary, with a separate alert for Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin. For a block in those areas we would review flood cover at placement.
InsuranceCheck Frontage Directions in Pilton and Bradiford
Pilton and Bradiford is the only Article 4 direction in North Devon inside a substantial town, removing rights for extensions, alterations and porches on identified frontages. For a block there we would obtain consent before specifying external works.
ConsentsManaging a Block in North Devon at a Glance
- Local authority
- North Devon Council
- Authority type
- District, under the county council
- Building control
- NMD Building Control, a partnership between North Devon and Mid Devon District Councils
- Fire and rescue service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- Setting
- Coastal
What It Costs to Move a Block in North Devon to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
A 100 Per Cent Second Homes Premium Since April 2025
North Devon has charged a 100 per cent second homes premium since 1 April 2025, resolved in January 2024. A long-term empty premium has applied since 1 April 2024 at 100 per cent past one year, 200 per cent past five and 300 per cent past ten. The empty period runs from the first day of vacancy and a change of ownership does not reset it. Leaseholders holding a second home or a long-empty flat in a block should plan for these charges.
Flats Are a Minority Stock at 14.1 Per Cent
At the 2021 Census 6,084 of North Devon's 43,197 households, 14.1 per cent, were in flats. Of these, 3,617 were purpose-built and 1,422 part of a converted or shared house. Blocks here are a minority stock concentrated in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. Converted houses often lack clear lease plans and repairing boundaries, so these should be checked before service charge budgets are set.
One Coastal Alert from Hartland Point to Lynmouth
North Devon's coast runs from Hartland Point to Lynmouth, taking in the Taw and Torridge estuary, and the Environment Agency operates a single coastal flood alert area across the whole of it. Blocks on this coast need external metalwork, railings and fixings inspected more often, with the reserve fund set for earlier replacement.
Metalwork is where coastal exposure shows up first and costs most. The standards put a high-salinity coastal atmosphere in category C5-M, losing over 80 micrometres of steel in year one against 1.3 to 25 inland, so railings, balustrades and fixings on a North Devon block are surveyed more often and the reserve fund is modelled on the findings.
Coastal, Estuary and River Alerts Across the District
Environment Agency flood alert areas within the district include the North Devon coast from Hartland Point to Lynmouth, covering coastal and tidal areas including the Taw and Torridge estuary. A separate area covers Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin on the Caen, Bradiford Water and Yeo. Devon County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority. For a block in either alert area, flood exposure should be stated when buildings insurance is placed.
41 Conservation Areas, with Exmoor Counted Separately
North Devon Council has 41 conservation areas across its district. That count does not include the Exmoor National Park area, which has its own planning authority. So the northern and eastern edge of what people call North Devon is not administered by this council at all. For a building there, the conservation area regime, the local plan and the determining authority are all different. The council publishes a character appraisal and a separate management plan for its main designations. For a block in a conservation area, these documents set out what external works are likely to be acceptable, and should be read before a major works specification is drawn up.
Article 4 Directions Here Control Street Scenes, Not HMOs
North Devon Council publishes a complete index of its Article 4 directions, and its page lists 17 across the district. Two of them, Lee Cross and Moor Lane, share a single 1982 document. The oldest dates from February 1964, and none of them targets houses in multiple occupation. The pattern is almost entirely rural and coastal: Codden Hill; Combe Martin and Berrynarbor; the Europa caravan park on Station Road at Woolacombe; Holdstone Down at Combe Martin; Lee Cross at Woolacombe; Moor Lane at Croyde; Muddlebridge at Fremington; Newhouse Copse at Hill Farm, Burrington; Pilton and Bradiford; Roadway Corner on Georgeham Road at Mortehoe; the greensward between the esplanade and the beach at Woolacombe; Trentishoe; two at Turnpike Cross, Mortehoe; a combined direction covering various sites at Mortehoe and Ilfracombe; Winson Cross at Chittlehampton; and Yelland. Only one of the 17, Pilton and Bradiford, sits inside a substantial town. Its direction of July 1984 removes permitted development rights for enlarging, improving or altering a dwellinghouse and for porches on identified frontages. Braunton, the district's largest village, is not among them. The national planning dataset holds none of these directions, but the council's own page still lists them as live. For a block on an affected frontage, external alterations need planning consent before works are specified.
A Local Plan Written Jointly with Torridge
The development plan is the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan 2011 to 2031, a genuinely joint plan adopted by two councils rather than one. It was submitted to the Secretary of State on 10 June 2016. The inspector's report was received on 11 September 2018, concluding that the plan was sound subject to main modifications, and both councils adopted it on 29 October 2018. A replacement joint plan with Torridge is in preparation. The plan area excludes the Exmoor National Park planning authority area. Only two neighbourhood plans have been made in the district, Georgeham on 12 January 2022 and Braunton on 4 October 2023, and they now form part of the statutory plan. Barnstaple, much the largest settlement, had its whole parish designated as a neighbourhood area on 14 April 2016 and still has no made plan more than ten years later. Everywhere else, including Barnstaple, is decided on the joint plan alone, so that is the policy any consent for alterations to a block is tested against.
Four Unitary Councils Planned for Devon by April 2028
On 16 July 2026 the Secretary of State decided to reorganise local government across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay into four unitary councils, replacing Devon County Council and its eight districts. Elections to the new councils are due in May 2027 and they are to be implemented by April 2028, through a Structural Changes Order subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then the existing county and district structure stands.
The obligations in the lease and in statute do not change. What changes is the body an application goes to and the authority that enforces housing standards, so compliance records and planning history need to be in order before the transfer rather than after it.
Tribunal Decisions on Blocks in North Devon
Published First-tier Tribunal decisions on named developments here, each read in full. They show what the tribunal expects of whoever runs a block in this area.
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| Ilfracombe Holiday Park, Marlborough Road | Service charge | 30 May 2023 |
| Lenwood Country Club, Lenwood Road | Service charge | 17 December 2012 |
Going Deeper in North Devon
| Area | Local authority |
|---|---|
| Block management in Barnstaple | North Devon Council |
| Block management in Bideford | Torridge District Council |
| Block management in Braunton | North Devon Council |
| Block management in Ilfracombe | North Devon Council |
| Block management in South Molton | North Devon Council |
Towns and Villages We Cover Around North Devon
Croyde, Combe Martin, Fremington, Instow, Lynton, Lynmouth, Northam, Saunton, Westward Ho!, Appledore, Woolacombe.
Service charge or accounts query? Email accounts@
North Devon Questions
What Council Tax Premiums Apply in North Devon?
A 100 per cent second homes premium has been charged since 1 April 2025, resolved in January 2024. The long-term empty premium, from 1 April 2024, is 100 per cent past one year, 200 per cent past five and 300 per cent past ten. The empty period runs from the first day of vacancy, and a change of ownership does not reset it.
What Happens to North Devon Council Under Reorganisation?
On 16 July 2026 the Secretary of State decided to reorganise local government across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay into four unitary councils, replacing Devon County Council and its eight districts. Elections are due in May 2027 and implementation by April 2028, through a Structural Changes Order subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then the existing structure stands.
Does Barnstaple Have a Neighbourhood Plan?
No. Barnstaple's whole parish was designated as a neighbourhood area on 14 April 2016, but there is still no made plan. Only Georgeham, made 12 January 2022, and Braunton, made 4 October 2023, have plans in the district. Everywhere else, including Barnstaple, is decided on the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan 2011 to 2031.
Is the Council for North Devon Changing?
Yes. Reorganisation was decided in July 2026 and takes effect by April 2028. The lease obligations do not change; the authority you file with does.
Nearby Areas
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