Could North Devon be as famous as St Ives and Newlyn for art?

Torridge could become the Melbourne of the UK if one councillor’s ideas to get more street art and murals come to fruition.

The district council’s external overview and scrutiny committee has heard that North Devon and Torridge have an opportunity to carve out an identity as a nationally important area for the arts.

And it could be crucial to stand out and not lose out when the government reorganises local authorities.

Those were the words of filmmaker Phil Parker, founder of ArtMakers and Art Upstairs in Bideford, which is home to the New Atlantic Wave of artists.

At a presentation on art in Torridge, Mr Parker told the committee the area is abundant in artists who do amazing work, but they are largely invisible.

He said local authority documents like the Bideford Cultural Strategy, North Devon and Torridge Economic Strategy, and Flourishing Culture showed a lot of ambition, but there is little support on the ground to support the arts.

Councillors also heard about the national importance of the Burton Art Gallery and Museum in Bideford and the work of The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington, which are part of a select group of National Portfolio Organisations which receive funding from Arts Council England.

The meeting heard there is a lack of funding for the arts generally and in particular for marketing, and not enough people know about the arts culture in the area, which it is claimed could be as famous as the Newlyn School in Cornwall, a cluster of famous artists at the turn of the last century.

Devolution is coming down the track, no one asked for it, and Northern Devon could lose out in the devolution debate, Mr Parker claimed.

How does this region stand out to make sure the people here do not lose out?

Under the government’s plans for local government reorganisation, rural councils like North Devon and Torridge are concerned about being swallowed by urban centres like Exeter under new larger unitary authorities.

Mr Parker, who grew up in Devon but moved away to work, said creative industries are worth seven billion pounds to the British economy and Northern Devon needs to be part of the action.

ArtMakers, a community interest company, supports more than 200 artists in Northern Devon, over 50 percent of whom are in Torridge, and who are part of a group recognised by Arts Council England called the New Atlantic Wave. It is the third largest visual arts group in England after London and Cornwall.

ArtMakers is run by volunteers, and both The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, which has been running for 75 years, and the 50-year-old Plough Arts Centre also rely hugely on volunteers.

The Burton’s director Harriet Cooper said the centre had 159,000 visitors in 2024, despite not being well publicised. The higher profile Tate St Ives had around 200,000 visitors.

It is one of the leading ceramic holdings in the South West and holds nationally and internationally significant work. It collaborates with galleries like the Tate and last year was featured in the Financial Times art section for a photo exhibition showing work by local photographer Robert Darch alongside that of internationally renowned photographer Martin Parr.

In addition, creative clubs were held for children and adults, outreach visits for schools and workshops, and it is soon to bring back bursaries so more schools can visit.

Councillor Wendy Lo Vel said The Burton is an underappreciated resource that offers free access to exhibitions that people would pay a small fortune to see in London.

Emma Marston, chief executive of The Plough, said it hosted 13 free exhibitions, 180 workshops, 103 theatre shows, and 204 different films in 2024 and had changed the lives of some young people and adults with additional care and support needs.

It had outreach hubs across Torridge and brought theatre and workshops to rural communities.

She said The Plough is grateful to Torridge District Council, which had given 55,000 pounds to the centre since 2020, but the venue had suffered declining ticket sales since Covid and is experiencing high energy costs. Its cash reserves will soon run out.

Volunteers saved The Plough 150,000 pounds annually, she said.

Renovation works in the pipeline include solar panels and double glazing, and The Plough will generate most of its own energy in years to come, the meeting was told.

She said The Plough is running a buy a brick fundraising scheme to raise 50,000 pounds and unlock 250,000 pounds of Arts Council funding for the renovation.

Ms Marston wants to promote the venue as a platform for grassroots theatre, new talent, and local bands and turn up the fun with more comedy into 2025.

She asked for support to get better public transport as although there are buses to Torrington, there are no return journeys to Bideford and Barnstaple after 7.30pm.

Councillor Claire Hodson said we must band together to market the potential and possibilities to bring identity to North Devon and Torridge as a place for creativity.

And Councillor Cheryl Cottle Hunkin would love to see street art and murals on gable ends of buildings to create a mini Melbourne in Torridge. Melbourne is acclaimed as one of the world’s great street art destinations.