TENS of thousands of pounds in unused funds received from developers in Sidmouth are set to be used to benefit townsfolk.

TENS of thousands of pounds in unused funds received from developers in Sidmouth are set to be used to benefit townsfolk.

East Devon District Council currently has around £81,000 at its disposal for play and recreation projects in the town. The money has been gathered from the Stowford Rise development and the strains it is deemed to have had on the town's infrastructure.

Under a section 106 agreement - legal agreements attached to planning permission -

developers are obliged to make a financial contribution to improving community facilities and readdress the impact additional dwellings or developments have on local people. These can include play areas, footpaths, and even village halls.

The news comes on the back of a newly created role within the district council. Since her appointment in January this year, Section 106 monitoring officer Sulina Tallack has set about calculating and collecting funds from agreements dating as far back back as 2004. Half a million pounds has been secured over the district to date.

She said: "We'll be seeing some fantastic projects in the not too distant future. District Funding has been collected for Sidmouth and we will be working with the Town Council and with the community to decide on what schemes will come forward as a result of it."

Mrs Tallack said: "There are some outstanding amounts still due on agreements previously signed but which have not yet reached their trigger point. We will work with the community to spend the money in line with the legal agreement signed by the developer(s). Some older funding is tied to specific projects which may not be able to proceed at the moment for other reasons."

The district council added that whilst there are plans to spend some of the money on Sidmouth projects, they cannot comment on specifics as consultations are ongoing.