Down on the English Riviera, plans are underway for a major facelift of the harbourside at Torquay. Could this be the start of something wonderful for the seaside town? Chrissy Harris pays a visit to find out what’s happening in her home town.
Yellow double decker buses weave awkwardly past the derelict Debenhams and a series of road diversions take the single-lane traffic past the diggers and temporary crossings.
Torquay’s harbourside is undergoing a five-phase major facelift that will see it become, as the local council puts it, a ‘well-connected, high-quality, modern and vibrant place’ (local councils seem to love the word vibrant).
Today, however, the harbourside is noisy and chaotic and cold and grey. But I feel a teeny tiny sense of excitement. Could this - referred to as ‘the biggest transformation project the town has seen for decades’ - finally be the start of something wonderful for my much misunderstood hometown?
‘It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,’ says Torbay councillor Chris Lewis, above the roadworks din. ‘We’ve got this government support behind us. We always said we can’t do it on our own. We’ve been left behind. Now we’ve got to get on with it. We can’t delay anymore.’
Cllr Lewis is talking about the £21.9 million of the government’s Town Deal Funding that has made the harbour transformation possible. The big pot of money secured by the council is going to be used for a number of different regeneration projects, all designed to make Torquay better.
The seaside town has long been criticised for being deprived, run down, past its best, Fawlty Towers funny etc. I moved here nearly 10 years ago thinking exactly the same. But now I don’t. Torquay is a fantastic place to live and people will eventually realise that. But first, there is work to be done.
‘To have progress, you’ve got to take the pain as well,’ says Cllr Lewis, cabinet member for place development and economic growth for Torbay Council. Despite his long-winded title, he’s refreshingly straightforward about what needs to happen here on the harbourside. ‘I mean, look, at the moment, this is just a bus depot in a prime location for Torquay,’ he continues, pointing to The Strand where buses have always lined up, juddering away, right next to the harbour. ‘The buses will be moved over there to the other side (near the Torbay Hotel). ‘And look, the benches are tired and worn out,’ he says before adding that there will be more space for seating and dining outside, plus new planting, feature lighting and a special spot for the recently commissioned Agatha Christie statue, designed to be a tribute to the Queen of Crime who was born in Torquay.
To be fair to the council, the harbourside regeneration timetable involves lifting the road closure in The Strand between July and August before the final resurfacing works take place in September. That’s if everything goes to plan.
There could be a short-term impact, but, in general, most businesses are realistic about that. A friend of mine who runs a local company said – and I’m going to use much less colourful language than she did – it’s basically going to suck for a year or so but then it’ll probably be quite good. It’s a sentiment shared by others.
‘Things have to be bad to get better,’ says Marysia Mak, from Harbour Gifts and Antiques, in Victoria Parade. She’s worked in Torquay for 25 years and been based in this premises for eight. ‘It will be beautiful when it’s finished,’ she says. ‘And I really believe it will improve the whole area. It’s much needed.’
Over on the other side of the harbour, another longstanding Torquay business owner agrees something needs to be done. Lucy Clark, whose family have run shops and cafes here over the years, says she would love to see the area revived and rejuvenated.
‘We’re just not getting the holidaymakers coming down,’ she says, echoing a general feeling that last summer wasn’t that great for visitors in Torquay. ‘I think the harbour will be lovely, as long as it helps to bring in more revenue.’
We swap stories about the places we’ve lived, including London, and chat about why living here in this little old seaside town is pretty great and could be even better.
‘It does need modernising but not so much that it loses its character,’ says Lucy. ‘I would love to see it thriving again. All it takes are a few little changes.’
Back beside the clock tower, Cllr Lewis says consultation with the business community has been crucial to the development of the regeneration plans.
‘When you’re doing something like this, it’s important to take everyone with you,’ he says, acknowledging that sometimes it’s hard to focus on the long-term gains. ‘Do you remember all the fuss about the Hampton Hotel there?’ he says, pointing to the shiny new building in Torwood Street that has definitely helped to ignite new energy into that part of town.
There was a lot of fuss about that before and during the build, but it all worked out in the end. It’s hoped the same will be true here by the harbour and then Union Square, where a housing and business development is planned. Then there’s talk about securing investment for the fantastic but neglected Torquay Pavilion, a beautiful Grade II-listed building whose future has been undecided since it closed in 2013.
‘A lot of seaside towns throughout the country have become tired places,’ says Cllr Lewis. ‘These days, you’ve got to make yourself an all-year-round destination. You’ve got to be better than the next guy. You’ve got to up your offering. If you improve the area, it will attract more people to open shops and more people will come down.’
The will is there to make Torquay great again and now so is the money and the diggers. Maybe this really is it – the English Riviera is finally having its moment in the sunshine.
englishriviera.co.uk;
torbay.gov.uk
