North Devon

Local Authority District in England

Devon, South West

§ This page gives an overview of the North Devon local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ North Devon combines rugged coastline, sandy beaches, and dramatic countryside. The Atlantic coast features surfing hubs like Croyde, Woolacombe, and Saunton Sands, along with the historic port town of Ilfracombe. The Exmoor National Park extends into the district, offering moorland, wooded valleys, and the picturesque village of Lynton and Lynmouth, connected by a cliff railway. Inland, Barnstaple is the main town, with markets, museums, and the River Taw. The Tarka Trail provides cycling and walking routes through estuaries and countryside. North Devon’s diverse geography blends wild coastlines with rural tranquillity.

The administrative boundary of North Devon can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of North Devon.

Map of North Devon — Administrative Boundary of North Devon (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about North Devon

What region is North Devon in? North Devon is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.

What county is North Devon in? North Devon is located in the county of Devon.

Is North Devon a city? No, North Devon is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)

Who governs North Devon? The local authority for this district is: North Devon District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Devon is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Devon County Council.

▶ Official website of North Devon District Council 🔗 northdevon.gov.uk

Which police force covers North Devon? Policing in North Devon is provided by Devon & Cornwall Police 🔗 devon-cornwall.police.uk, which serves 12 local authority districts: Cornwall ⁞ East Devon ⁞ Exeter ⁞ Isles of Scilly ⁞ Mid Devon ⁞ North Devon ⁞ Plymouth ⁞ South Hams ⁞ Teignbridge ⁞ Torbay ⁞ Torridge ⁞ West Devon.

This district page, North Devon, is a sub-page of this county page: Devon and this region page: South West. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in North Devon

North Devon

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in North Devon

North Devon is divided into 25 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

Barnstaple Central
Barnstaple with Pilton
Barnstaple with Westacott
Bickington
Bishop's Nympton
Bratton Fleming
Braunton East
Braunton West & Georgeham
Chittlehampton
Chulmleigh
Combe Martin
Fremington
Heanton Punchardon
Ilfracombe East
Ilfracombe West
Instow
Landkey
Lynton & Lynmouth
Marwood
Mortehoe
Newport
North Molton
Roundswell
South Molton
Witheridge

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Parishes in North Devon

North Devon is fully parished: 62 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.

Arlington
Ashford
Atherington
Barnstaple
Berrynarbor
Bishop's Nympton
Bishop's Tawton
Bittadon
Bratton Fleming
Braunton
Brayford
Brendon and Countisbury
Burrington
Challacombe
Chittlehamholt
Chittlehampton
Chulmleigh
Combe Martin
East and West Buckland
East Anstey
East Down
East Worlington
Filleigh
Fremington
George Nympton
Georgeham
Goodleigh
Heanton Punchardon
Horwood, Lovacott and Newton Tracey
Ilfracombe
Instow
Kentisbury
King's Nympton
Knowstone
Landkey
Loxhore
Lynton and Lynmouth
Mariansleigh
Martinhoe
Marwood
Meshaw
Molland
Mortehoe
North Molton
Parracombe
Pilton West
Queen's Nympton
Rackenford
Romansleigh
Rose Ash
Satterleigh and Warkleigh
Shirwell
South Molton
Stoke Rivers
Swimbridge
Tawstock
Trentishoe
Twitchen
West Anstey
West Down
Westleigh
Witheridge

A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.

Built-up Areas in North Devon

North Devon covers 26 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

Ashford (North Devon)
Barnstaple
Bickington
Bishop's Tawton
Bratton Fleming
Braunton
Chambercombe
Chivenor and Wrafton
Chulmleigh
Combe Martin
Croyde
East Buckland
Fremington
Georgeham
Goodleigh
Hill
Ilfracombe
Instow
Landkey
Lynton and Lynmouth
North Molton
South Molton
Swimbridge
Westacott
Witheridge *
Woolacombe

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of North Devon.)

North Devon compared with other districts in the UK

This section shows how North Devon compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.

North Devon has 25 electoral wards.

North Devon compared with other districts — ▮ Smaller: 233 ▮ Similar: 43 ▮ Larger: 85 (compared with 361 districts)

North Devon has a population of 101,222 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)

Population of North Devon compared with other districts — Population of North Devon, compared with other districts in England and Wales

More local statistics and data for North Devon can be found on the ONS statistics for North Devon.