£20M development for Torwood Street given the green light

By jenna richards jrichards@heraldexpress.co.uk

A £20MILLION development for Torquay's Torwood Street has been given the green light by planners.

Torbay Council's development management committee yesterday gave approval to plans for a cinema, flats, restaurant and retail complex expected to create about 200 jobs.

Developer New Riviera Estates was delighted with the approval and said it hoped that work would start later this year.

Director Peter Tisdale said: "We would like to bring the vibrancy and confidence back to Torquay."

The planning application has been controversial with a previous scheme, deferred by planners last September, being criticised by the South West and Torbay design review panels as well as English Heritage.

Describing previous plans, a letter from English Heritage historic areas adviser, David Stuart, said: "If a significant part of the intention behind the vision is to generate certainty, confidence and consensus in the planning process and to attract appropriate inward investment, the exercise has failed at the first serious attempt."

But yesterday, Torbay Council planning officer Emma Phillips told the meeting the new scheme took a "different approach".

She revealed that English Heritage had now conceded that demolition of existing buildings in Torwood Street could go ahead.

Councillors still expressed concerns at the loss of the buildings, many of them dating back to the late 1800s.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Robert Horne said: "I welcome a development in this area. I think the development is an improvement on the previous scheme.

"I think the height and the density are both right. I am concerned at the frontage."

He added: "If they were able to come up something more sympathetic to the street scene, I would be far happier".

Councillor Alan Faulkner said: "The loss of these key buildings seems to be a great problem. They have had plenty of time to develop this.

"I thought they would have come up with something more in keeping with the area.

"But I know we have to move on and, at the moment, Torwood Street looks tired."

Councillor Jeanette Richards said the area not only looked tired but "dead".

She added: "I believe this should be a vibrant area. I am very much for the scheme."

Speaking at the meeting in support of the application, Mr Tisdale said his company would like to be on site by the end of the year.

He added: "We are truly proud of the scheme and what it will do for Torquay. We would like to begin the regeneration of Torquay. We would like to bring the vibrancy and confidence back to Torquay."

Blueprints of the scheme were revised after being deferred by planners last September after widespread objections to an 11-storey tower block.

The height of the new scheme has been reduced by 12 metres and stands three storeys from the street level in Torwood Street and four storeys from The Terrace.

When New Riviera Estates first announced the project for Torquay in April 2009, it hoped to be on site by the autumn of last year.

The hotel, restaurants, cinema and shops complex includes numbers 4 to 24 Torwood Street, and the site of the former Royal Garage.

The scheme was given delegated approval subject to detail drawings of the finish of the building being received by the council, a satisfactory Section 106 agreement and some finer details being agreed.

Mr Tisdale said after the meeting at Oldway Mansion: "We are pleased with the news and want to thank all those who have been so supportive during the course of this planning application."

John Havard, New Riviera Estates director, said after the planning meeting: "We are committed to investing in Torquay and believe this proposal will not only inject cash, but will also bring new hope for a town which, up to now, has been in decline.

"The English Riviera will finally have a development to be proud of."