Torbay Council sells off empty buildings to fund regeneration drive

Far from the aspiration of becoming the Premier Resort, when the political leadership of the council changed hands in 2023 the incoming administration inherited an extraordinary collection of old buildings, places & spaces, mostly empty & in desperate need of investment to provide a new lease of life. In some cases, they simply needed knocking down & still do.

Now we are getting on with our plans to deliver the regeneration of the Bay, we get attacked for either moving too quickly or too slowly or else get told we are "selling off the family silver".

You just can't win, it seems.

These are the facts. In 2023, St Kilda's a former care home in Brixham, had been empty for years & now we have built 23 splendid new apartments for older people , at low "social housing" rents. The Cabinet has decided to sell off the old cottage facing Drew Street which doubtless someone will turn into a desirable home.

Crossways was an unloved & largely empty 1960's shopping centre, acquired by the council through compulsory purchase. The new administration knocked it down & working with our regeneration partners have a viable scheme for 91 extra care apartments & much more. Enabling works are starting now.

Millions have been spent on the first stage of the restoration of Oldway Mansion after years of dither & delay. Substantial financial support has also been given to the Trust who are restoring the town's historic Picture House Cinema. Both projects will be a boost for the town's heritage.

Likewise, the Old Monastery, which has stood empty for years, was sold for the princely sum of £1, yes £1, after an approach was made by the community, who have plans to restore this historic gem.

The Polsham Centre, my dear mum's first school back in the day, had also stood empty for years & was sold at auction earlier this year, realising much more money than envisaged, which can go towards various capital projects in the Bay.

Following the failure of the Coast & Countryside Trust, Occombe Farm was sold to Greendale who have the expertise which the Trust lacked to make this attractive site into a success. They quickly reopened the cafe & play facility as they said they would. Further plans for investment will be forthcoming in the next few months. What's not to like?

The Council simply didn't have the capacity or capital to run this operation. If offered on a lease basis, no business would make a substantial investment on the site. So a freehold sale made sense & again achieved a substantial receipt which will help get other projects over the line.

Close to my heart, I was absolutely delighted to see New Parkfield, woefully underused in recent years, become the inspirational new home for Mayfield College, which gives older children with Special Educational Needs & Disablities the best possible start in life. When not used by Mayfield it's available for the wider community & it was great to attend the recent "Powered By Youth" engagement event held there.

Over in Torquay the sale of the visitor centre at Cockington (which some folk wanted the Council to buy as if we hadn't got enough on our plate) has been a great success & is much more inviting than before. What's wrong with letting business get on with things?

There's now an inevitable upset over the Cabinet's decision to sell off the Lodge at Torre Abbey, but yet again this is a building which has stood unloved, empty & neglected for years. You can't even see it from within the Abbey or historic grounds.

Its sale would help provide funds for the restoration of the historic chapel, a heritage asset which absolutely is worth saving.

The sale of the Lodge is not enough on its own to cover the cost but would unlock funds kindly provided by the Friends of Torre Abbey (if only we had a few more groups prepared to put their money where their mouth is) & grant funding. It looks like a win, win to me.

Then there's dear old Debenhams & all the other empty buildings at the Strand, which should be the jewel in the crown. All credit to the previous administration who acquired this site, but given what some of them are now saying you rather wonder if their intention was simply to play "shops"?

The earlier scheme for 9 or so "luxury" but actually quite small flats was simply not viable. Now we have come up with a much more ambitious & to my eye attractive scheme which will be a real game changer for the town. The discussion at the Planning Committee was tortuous to say the least but in the end common sense prevailed & plans were approved on a cross party basis, with just two abstentions on the main recommendation & a unanimous vote for the second, which supports the restoration of the old bank, at 8, The Strand. In fairness this is probably the bit worth keeping & "Listed" in any case.

We are making progress with the Pavillion, although there's still a long way to go. Support has been given to the Royal Lyceum, the town's historic & original theatre; an empty unit at Union House is now in use as a much needed centre for our Youth Justice Service; ARC marine LTD have taken possession of the old Living Coasts site, although rather like Tracy Island the most fascinating things take place hidden from sight. It's certainly a relief to both the Wild Planet Trust, the former operator of Paignton Zoo & Torbay Council to have a beneficial use there after several years stood empty.

So very well done indeed to Cabinet & professional colleagues who are taking the Bay forward in what are very challenging times.

To those in the wider community & some councillors who seem to be up in arms about this, I would say: how can you justify Torbay Council clinging on to every old building when over recent years they have simply been neglected? How do you justify turning down investment which will pave the way for jobs & future prosperity?

It would be a tragedy to lose this welcome momentum after recent years "do nothing" culture.