Purpose

The successful bids for Future High Streets
Funding, Town Deal, Levelling Up Partnership, Levelling Up Round 3
(LUF3), and the recent direct award through the Plans for
Neighbourhoods, in addition to the development sites acquired by
the Council since 2019, has created the need to for a place vision
that links the funding and assets (development sites) together.
This will create a clear vision of how development sites work
together to regenerate Torbay as whole.

Decision

1.    that, subject to
including Cary Green as a green space for public realm
improvements, the use of the Torquay Vision document (as set out at
Appendix 1) to steer both the delivery of current regeneration
sites and the development of future proposals for the sites and
areas of public realm identified by the vision as suggested
priorities be approved;

 

2.    that delegated authority
be given to the Director of Pride in Place to make minor amendments
to the vision in consultation with the Leader of the Council,
noting that any proposed substantial amendments will be presented
to Cabinet for approval.

Reasons for the decision

To respond to the
recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Board and to provide a
guiding document to:
 
·        
increase investment in our three towns to enable them to develop
their own distinct identities and role;
·        
attract, retain, and grow our economic specialisms so we have
growth which builds on our reputation;
·        
create a future pipeline of investment priorities derived from the
evidence used to produce the Visions and from our emerging Economic
Plan.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Do
Nothing – This would have resulted in handing back the OPE 8
funding allocated for the purpose of producing a strategy of for
Transforming Torbay.
 
Option 2 – Take
a statutory Masterplanning approach by
updating the current adopted Masterplans for Paignton and Torquay
Town Centres. This would have taken a longer period of time and not
covered the wider Torbay area and been subject to a length
statutory consultation period. With the current Government
requiring that all Local Plans were to be updated by the end of the
current parliament the visions along with the new Local Plan can
inform the need to update or supersede the current town centre
Masterplans.
 
Option 3 – The
preferred option - produce vision documents for; Torbay, Brixham
Port and Town Centre, Paignton Town Centre and Harbour and Torquay
Town Centre and Harbour.