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Torquay, Paignton and Brixham are three towns in south Devon that together make up Torbay, an area otherwise known as the ‘English Riviera’. Once upon a time, the towns were grand tourist hotspots. They were especially popular during Victorian times and were frequented by Queen Victoria herself. In recent decades they’ve become rather worn down, but a series of renovations could soon bring them back to their former glory.
A whole load of redevelopments and improvements are lined up for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham over the next few years, totalling a whopping £300 million. Here’s a look at the most exciting upgrades lined up for the three Torbay towns.
First: Torquay. The town’s pavilion has been crumbling for more than a decade now, but in 2023 plans to restore it back to its former glory were announced. Right now, a consultation is underway to figure out how it can be transformed in a project expected to cost around £11m. In the past its been a theatre, a cinema, a shopping centre and an ice rink. Suggestions for its future include turning it into an Agatha Christie attraction, a research centre or a concert hall.
Elsewhere, Torquay’s Union Square Shopping Centre is set to be demolished and replaced with a complex of 100 new homes, healthcare facilities and new shops. The area surrounding the shopping centre on Higher Union Street is also due to get a makeover as part of a wider 10-year plan. Then, towards the harbour an abandoned Debenhams will be knocked down and replaced with a mix-use development. Altogether, those two redevelopments are forecast to cost around £60-£70 million.
The next town along, Paignton, is also due several big upgrades. Most notably, the place is getting a £14 million makeover along its seafront to help protect it from rising sea levels. The seafront will get a tiered sea defence system to prevent flooding as well as new seating terraces and relocated shelters, kiosks and cafes. That’s all due to be done by 2027.
The historic Grade II-listed Paignton Picture House was awarded a £673,000 grant back in December to help it restore features including the mosaic floor, original ticket offices and art deco lighting. The multiplex closed way back in 1999 but is on track to reopen in September this year as a hub for film, arts and community activity.
On the other side of town, Oldway Mansion, which has been closed to the public and in disrepair since 2013, is scheduled to undergo a £54 million restoration. Repairs on its roof have already started and are expected to be finished by 2027. Back in the centre, Victoria Square and Station Square are in the midst of regeneration projects that’ll bring 200 new homes, modernisation and new landscaping.
The third and final town getting some major renos this year is Brixham. Its fish market and harbour is being given a new lease of life with an additional 7,000sqm of space, two new auction halls and new landing space for five more fishing vessels. There’s also a huge £750,000 project underway to save the town’s Shoalstone Seawater Pool (one of the UK’s few remaining tidal-fed pools) from crumbling into the sea.
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