Jim Parker:- Time stands still for no-one, least of all Torquay town centre

David Rowe knows that time stands still for no-one — except if you’re the old clock which has stood proudly above his Conroy Couch jewellers shop at the top end of Torquay town centre without putting a foot, or rather hand, wrong for many many years until now..
Repair specialists were this week working on the clock to get it working properly again.

David explained: “The clock is over 150 years old. It had a major repair to the case 15 years ago. It was removed during the war years and was weight driven until the 1950s, then converted to electric.
“It currently has a small problem of the hands on either side saying different times. I have a clockmaker taking a look this week.”
David, who has traded in the town for more than four decades, could have quite easily just left the clock as it is. No doubt, it is going to cost a few bob to put right. But he believes in doing things properly. That is why he has also given Conroy Couch and his other Regina Rowe business lower down the town a makeover and a decent lick of paint.

David still believes in retail and independent shops although they are becoming fewer and fewer in our high street, especially in Torquay’s main Union Street.
He knows Torbay Council’s ‘Vision’ is for a town centre with fewer retail shops at the top end and more residential units and a better leisure offer. A major part of that blueprint is a total, multi-million pound overhaul of the Union Square shopping complex and Torquay indoor market. Future development plans would see the ugly Temperance Street multi-storey car park also demolished.
The Union Square scheme was only the week before last given the green light by planners and will see the shopping mall and shops close by knocked down to make way for 100 apartments, including affordable housing and key sector workers’ accommodation, a health hub and green park area. The indoor market would also be developed.
David wasn’t a great fan of the major Union Square project which is part of the massive regeneration private sector partnership the council has with developers Willmott Dixon and Milligan, and he hasn’t changed his mind despite the go-ahead from the local planning committee.
He says: “I know we have had Covid but there are several schemes around the bay where builders have gone bust. Just suppose the same thing happens in the middle of the town centre, they start building and demolishing and then the work stops?
“These things do happen. What due diligence or risk factor did the council have in place? What is the timeline and how much is it going to cost?
“The Pavilion was a retail area. The council closed all the shops down to redevelop it but it has been empty for 10 years. I do not want to see Union Square boarded up for 10 years.”
He added: “We need an experience at the top of the town. We have a new snooker hall and I spoke to the owner recently and he’s really pleased with the way things are going, and we have a cinema.
“We need to repurpose Union Square and not knock it down completely. Buildings down to the Nationwide can go but they can be replaced with smaller affordable units.”
David points to new legislation where the government has given councils new powers through High Street rental auctions to address long-term empty shops by forcing landlords to rent out their vacant commercial properties.
Under this scheme, if a property has been empty for more than a year, councils can take control and auction leases of up to five years to businesses or community groups, aiming to revitalize high streets and boost local economies.
He would like to see the Temperance Street car park go but says any future scheme also has to include parking.
He says: “When they take away the parking spaces where are people going to park? One councillor told me that people will not have cars then. What world do these people live in? They want a town with more people and then new shops will appear but then they will have nowhere to park.
“I’m not knocking everything in the town. I am just thinking outside the box.
“The council has a responsibility to make a positive difference in their town centres, especially as they own a substantial amount of retail space.
“You have to look ahead. Do they want to increase tourism or to sell and fill apartments?
“Putting a block of flats/apartments wholesale into the centre town, cutting it in half is not necessarily the brightest idea. Will 100 apartments bring shoppers into town? Good experiences will.”
“What is the answer? You have a small group of positive, like-minded business people with the tools of experience of what will bring people back into town.”
So what about a Business Improvement District initiative where businesses come together and pay a levy to finance a town centre manager and invest money for improvements to the areas in which they work?
David says: “In principle yes. However, it would be more difficult now as there are less independents.
“It would also have to be different from the last BID as we are aware that it was a disaster.”
And what about the Factory Row homeless hostel right on his doorstep? David is convinced it should be moved.
He says: “I had a woman running into the shop the other day asking for scissors because there was somebody literally trying to hang themselves from a traffic light. We have drug dealing and vape shops being closed down with police ramming front doors.
“These people are on their knees. They need help. At the moment they are surrounded by an awful environment. They need to be in a place where there are fields or gardens and where there is mental stimulation and no temptation.”
His Vision? He says: “With the council hell bent on demolishing a purpose-built retail facility. They have not considered the consequences. Torquay could, with a positive attitude, be a great retail and leisure town centre fit for locals and visitors.”
That is exactly what we all want, Mr R.
So, let’s sum it up — no Factory Row, more leisure, more independent shops and a BID to run the high street with (and this is me saying this) David Rowe leading the way.
Willmott Dixon and Milligan have delivered these kinds of projects around the UK and world. Their track record speaks for itself and I know they and the council have the ear and interest of potential investors.
My question to David Rowe and others not happy with the plans is: what other options do we have? If you can come up with the ideas and the cash to back them up and build a new future for Torquay then the door is wide open.
Other than that, let’s get that Conroy Couch clock fixed because, guess what, Now is the Time!