“It's not just about empty shops! They are simply a symptom of a more serious and sinister illness. That illness is the decline of local communities and it is all very well to hear that localism is part of the Big Society but the evidence doesn't support that. The arrival of parking meters add to the problem as the poor old civic enforcement officers will tell you as they face incredulous motorists when they see the charge. How ridiculous is the BID programme in beautifying the town only to take the shot to the foot with parking meters. Dear oh dear oh dear.”

“Paignton became a ghost town with the advent of out of town shopping and charging people to use town centre car parks. With a few minor exceptions, Torbay Road shops are full of tat aimed at the holiday trade and Victoria Street has become a centre for building societies, opticians, charity shops, and now even amusement arcades. What Paigntonian would want to use it, there's nothing there for them!”

“I am a Devon maid from Plymouth who moved to Paignton in 1987. It was vibrant in those days and we enjoyed great shopping at places like Rossiters and Perretts. We enjoyed meals at the Inn on the Green and great music at the Spinning wheel and felt quite safe walking through the town after midnight. I would not feel safe nowadays and unfortunatlely Paignton town centre is full of charity shops and cheapy groccle shops. Such a shame”

“Well, you've taken a few pictures of streets with cars in and some road works, which are all an indication of people being there, even if there appears to be no people there. And if you head to the centre of Paignton you'll see plenty of people around.

But still, the effect of the recession is pronounced in Paignton. I was there a week or two ago for the first time in a couple of months and the town is decimated. Apart from the main pedestrian precinct there are more boarded up shops than open ones and the shopping centre is completely deserted. It all looks very tragic.”

“Looking at most of the shoppers crawling around paignton, i would say there are almost ghosts themselves!”