E Ten years on but at least there’s one crane set to rise over Torbay

IT MUST be one of a handful – if not the only – building site in South Devon where disruption, traffic delays and road closures will actually be welcomed with open arms.

The trucks, trailers, dumper trucks and demolition teams are in at Torwood Street. Local business owners, neighbours and residents must be expecting the worst with any such major regeneration project as a Hilton Hotel, shops and brand new office facilities rise from the debris.

But apparently they don’t mind – something is actually happening on the prime derelict waterfront location after eight, nine or is it 10 years?

The developers, led by boss Peter Tisdale, outlined the timeline and some of the potentially bigger disruption-causing works a recent meeting in Park Lane. It included the people nearby, adjacent businesses and adjacent residents.

The Wellswood Community Partnership was also there as well as Ian Handford, from the Torbay Civic Society.

Mr Tisdale said: “We got 20 or so of the nearest neighbours to meet the contractor to talk about various things like road closures.

“It was out of courtesy – like letting them know when the cranes are going to come. The site manager said he had never had so many people coming to say hello and welcoming them on to the site. It is unusual to have that response. It is heartening.

“They know it is going to change that area for the better.”

Wellswood councillor Nick Bye was also at the Park Lane meeting and he was pleased to hear about the reaction from the neighbours.

Mr Bye said: “The developers have never experienced the response they’ve had from residents.

“They have had cards, cakes, drinks and biscuits taken up there from people who are thrilled to see some work start on the site.”

Torbay Council invested in the scheme and it was that support which finally got it over the line after so many years.

Mr Bye said “At the beginning of last week I was driving up Torwood Street when I was held up by large vehicle at the site. I have never more pleased to be held up in traffic in my life. I was delighted. I wanted to go on to the pavement and dance a jig.”

The Torwood Street works is of particular significance for Mr Bye.

Ten years ago this year the council had been awarded Growth Point money and £100,000 was spent on drawing up Mr Bye’s Mayoral Vision.

Mr Bye said: “Torwood was one of my vision projects and the developers came to the launch event.”

Like it or loath it, some notable and worthy projects and developments were to be born out of the vision including the Geo-play park on Paignton Green, the Paignton library hub, realising some of South Devon Colleges’s aspirations in the so-called ‘Valley of Learning’, the Brixham Fish Quay and the final coming of the South Devon Link Road or Kingskerswell Bypass. Other projects were also delivered like a new Torquay Community College (now Torquay Academy), the Edginswell Business Park, Parkfield and two Travel Lodge hotels in Torquay and Paignton.

“We have done quite a bit but it has been so hard,” said Mr Bye.

He said the individual projects were all ‘well and good’ but key to a bigger and better picture was having a developer on board, as a partner delivering schemes.

Mr Bye says: “That is the only way forward – when you work in partnership with a developer and share the sites and profits.”

We all thought that was going to happen during mayor Bye’s reign when world-renowned regeneration giant McAlpine was on the verge of doing a massive deal with the local authority. A list of potential regeneration sites were lined up which would have yielded millions of pounds and created thousands of jobs. But suddenly Mr Bye found himself out of office, the new regime didn’t like the McAlpine deal, they walked and the rest is history.

Town centre regeneration projects would have been part of that massive investment programme.

Look at our high street now...

Work has begun to regenerate Torwood Street. Developer Peter Tisdale, Torbay Mayor Gordon Oliver, project manager for Tolent Ivan Hodgson and construction manager Billy Blackman

Plans for facelifts for Paignton town centre and the Strand area of Torquay have been caught up in the Town Hall’s latest money woes, although they may still go ahead.

Money for the Paignton regeneration project was originally going to come from the deal to build a budget hotel on part of the Terrace car park in Torquay. There was speculation the hotel development was being delayed so the Paignton scheme was back in the melting pot. I am told, however, that the financial link between the two was severed earlier in the year.

The Paignton project will go still go ahead but it won’t be funded by the council. Funding will be sought by other means. I gather the Terrace hotel plan has been slightly delayed but some good news is expected on that front in the next couple of weeks.

Any money from that deal will go into general council funds but it may very well be decided to put some of it towards the Paignton facelift anyway. The scheme to improve The Strand area of Torquay, valued at just under £1 million, will now be dependent on a cash bid to the Coastal Communities Fund.

Mr Bye says: “All this is very, very hard without a vision and a major developer.”

I have been casting my mind back to a lunch meeting with former chief executive Elizabeth Raikes who had been appointed just before the mayoral election back in 2005. As we looked out over the Torquay waterfront from the restaurant the ambition then was to “fill the skyline with cranes”. Ten years on we will have one – standing over Torwood Street. Only in Torbay!