Jim Parker: The new Strand is just the starter - the main course and dessert are yet to come

The same accusation over in Paignton where another £13m has apparently been sat in the bank with nothing happening.
Like it or not, there have been reasons, not least the worst pandemic in modern history which closed down normal life for almost two years. Then there was the war in Ukraine followed by the cost of living crisis - not even the most fierce of critics in the land could blame the Town Hall for those world history-making and game-changing events - which hit supplies and pushed development costs through the roof.
It would also be a tad unfair to blame totally the then Liberal Democrat/Independent partnership running the local authority for some unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. There were projects planned for both pots of Westminster cash but they became undeliverable.
Yep, there were some things the powers-that-be may have done better - looking at the speed of planning and procurement processes perhaps? And those very same powers-that-be were becoming increasingly pressurised into making things happen, not least with government hints in the background that the money may have to be given back if it wasn't spent which would have been disastrous and, frankly, embarrassing.
Fast forward a few months and, guess what, the Town Hall has at last got its proverbial you-know-what in gear.
We have a new Conservative administration at the council helm who won the local elections on a 'we will, deliver (a brighter future) ticket', the government money is still there and many more millions of pounds are now coming into the Bay via the private and public sectors much in part to the resort selling itself and its potential with the powerful Torbay Story.
To cap it all we have one of those long-waited improvement schemes with a spade actually breaking surface and going into the ground.
A moment to cherish and rejoice? Not quit as we still have some people who are unhappy.
'Waste of money' 'Just digging up pavements,' What about Castle Circus?' 'What about Paignton?' 'Will do nothing to transform Torquay' - just a few of the unsurprising reactions to the so-called Public Realm project for The Strand and harbourside area in Torquay.
In a nutshell,the scheme will move buses and bus stops from overlooking the harbour to around the corner, change traffic flow and turn the area around the landmark Clock Tower into a Continental-style boulevard-cum-piazza walkway for pedestrians.
That's just for starters.The main course is yet to come.
There will be other, much larger regeneration projects for both Torquay and Paignton changing the face of the two towns when it comes to more residential and less retail and now being delivered with huge financial investment from a private sector developer partner.
Don't be surprised to hear the new Brixham fish market aspirations, a photonics business park and sea defence schemes linked to a new Levelling Up partnership with the government. And you never know there may yet be hope for Living Coasts, Oldway and even the Pavilion!
As council deputy leader Chris Lewis - and our Page One - says: "This is just the beginning."
He adds: "Instead of The Strand being for buses it will be for pedestrians. It will make it a lot better for pedestrians around the harbour. It is about moving a bus depot from one of our most prominent places and opening up the harbour."
He added: ""There are doubters. Trouble is they have heard it all before and they have had so many false beginnings.
"This is for real. It is just the beginning. Everything is coming together. We just have to get cracking."
One social media comment rounded it all off - goes without saying with due respect of course - when they said: "All the moaners should get a life - it's the start of things to come."
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The dessert is yet to come but will be well worth the wait!