£1m upgrade continues across Torbay car parks

Work continues on car parks across Torbay in a £1million programme of improvements.

Work got under way early last year with the installation of new tickets machines that offer more flexible payment options to customers and upgrades to lighting in several multi-storey car parks.

Several other enhancement works are either completed, under way or are due to get under way and include:

• improved lighting at the Terrace, Victoria, and Beacon Quay car parks
• redecoration of stairwells and lift lobbies at Lower Union Lane, Union Square, Victoria and, Roundham
• re-lining at Broadsands, Breakwater, Youngs Park, Princess Street, Great Western and Station Lane
• extra security gates at Victoria multi-storey car park
• new handrails at Meadfoot Road car park.

This year, lines in multi-storey and surface level car parks will be refreshed with further lighting improvements, new signage, as well as replacing handrails and vehicle and pedestrian barriers is also due to take place at parking locations across Torbay.

Lower Union Lane and Union Square car parks in Torquay are also benefitting from improvements using funding secured through the Safer Streets Funding. These include brand new robust fire doors on all levels, enhanced security around windows and the installation of motion-activated voice systems on upper levels.

A CCTV camera has been installed in Lower Union Lane, with more cameras due to be installed in Lower Union Lane car park in the next financial year.

Cllr Mike Morey, Cabinet member of infrastructure, environment and culture for Torbay Council, said: “The much-needed programme of works has been developed in line with the recommendations from the structural condition surveys which were undertaken in 2022.

"Years of under investment in Torbay’s car parks left a significant backlog of maintenance and repair issues that our partnership administration is addressing.”

Cllr Christine Carter, Cabinet member for corporate and community services for Torbay Council, said: “Providing quality car parking facilities not only supports Torbay’s town centres, but they form a central part of our offer of Torbay being a premier resort for visitors.

"The installation of electric vehicle-charging points is taking longer that we would have hoped, with council officers working on bringing forward a solution with a viewing to rolling the charging points out this year.”