Torbay Coastal Community Teams: Economic Plan: 2017 – 2021

1 Contents

2 Executive Summary ...... 2 3 Coastal Community Team ...... 3 4 Economic Context ...... 4 5 Background ...... 5 6 Key Projects ...... 7 6.1 Coastal Community Team ...... 7 6.2 Coastal Community Team ...... 8 6.3 Brixham Coastal Community Team ...... 8 6.4 Sea ...... 9 7 Delivery ...... 10 7.1 Barriers ...... 10 7.2 Resources ...... 11 7.3 Costs ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 7.4 Funding ...... 11 7.5 CCT Logistics ...... 12

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2 Executive Summary

This document sets out how the Coastal Community Team funding, awarded to Torbay in 2015, will contribute to the prosperity of the Torbay local authority area.

Torbay is the three towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. As a visitor destination the area is known as the English Riviera and remains one of the UK’s most popular visitor resorts. There is a high level of ambition to ensure that the area achieves more for our residents, businesses and visitors. This document sets out how the area will seek to build on what makes this place special by improving the town centres of the three towns and by continuing to use the fantastic natural environment to raise levels of prosperity in the area.

The plans complement the Council’s corporate goals as expressed in its corporate plan, economic strategy and the recent identification from a peer review that more needs to be done to develop a broader vision for what Torbay can achieve. The development of this plan to date is built on partnership working from the inception of the master plans the engagement of the local community has allowed ideas to come from the bottom up. Delivery of the plans which are set out here will encourage greater and deeper local partnership working responding to the economic context that Torbay exists in but setting out viable and deliverable solutions to the physical regeneration of the three towns and ensuring that Torbay builds on its strong position as visitor resort.

Specifically this plan identifies key projects and sets out how the Coastal Community Teams will work in partnership with the Local Authority and other partners to:

• Enhancing the attractiveness and accessibility of public areas • Promote the visitor economy • Encourage sustainable uses of heritage/ cultural assets • Support the growth and performance of the local economy

The Torbay Coastal Community Team’s Plan draws upon plans for each of the three teams across Torbay - Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham. It outlines the context and challenges which are broadly similar across all three towns while drawing upon their unique and individual offerings to identify opportunities for growth.

The Coastal Community Teams across Torbay have been instrumental in working with Torbay Council and key stakeholders to identify and feed-in to the specific challenges and key projects for their respective areas. Detailed consultation has taken place across the local community and stakeholders in order to understand their views.

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3 Coastal Community Team

Point of Contact Local Authority Contact

Alan Denby Martin Phillips Director of Economic Strategy Chief Accountant TDA Financial Services

Tor Hill House Town Hall Union St Castle Circus Torquay Torquay TQ2 5QW TQ1 3DR

E:[email protected] E: [email protected] W: www.torbaydevelopmentagency.co.uk W: www.torbay.gov.uk T: 01803 207948 T: 01803 207285

Programme Board Members

• Cllr Richard Haddock • Cllr Mark King • Cllr Chris Robson • Cllr Nick Bye • Cllr Mike Morey • Cllr Adrian Sanders • Vince Flower, Chief Operating Officer Shearings Holidays & Chair of TDA • Tim Godfrey, Chair Torbay Business Forum • Director of Economic Strategy (TDA) • Head of Spatial Planning (Torbay Council)

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4 Economic Context

Torbay, in common with a number of coastal and resort communities, has a range of economic challenges. A high incidence of service sector, and in particular tourism, healthcare and retail business has resulted in seasonal employment trends and below average wages and productivity. Locally we know;

o 32% of employment is in the retail, accommodation and food sectors compared to 23% nationally. Approximately 17% of employment is in tourism related activity. o Unemployment, although falling remains nearly 1% higher than the regional average (2.1% v 1.2%) and is extremely seasonal, peaking in February before falling over the summer months. o Torbay’s GVA per head is now 60.8% of the UK average, the lowest in the South West, and the 5th lowest in England. o 44% of employees work part time, 12% higher than the national average and job density levels of 0.75 demonstrate the lack of full time opportunities. o Wages are correspondingly low, at £422 for workers compared to the English average of £533.

Despite this, there are a range of opportunities which the Coastal Teams will capitalise on including the recent opening of the South Link Road which has significantly improved transport links to and from the Bay. This much needed project is forecast to contribute an estimated 3,000 jobs to Torbay in the coming years

Although recognised as a seaside resort the three towns of Torbay are also home to a thriving electronics/photonics industry which has grown as a result of the rapid boom and then contraction of the telecoms industry in the 90’s which left a legacy of skills in the area. This has resulted in a vibrant sector built on strong high tech engineering and design, predominantly in photonics and electronics, which is strongly embedded in the local area.

While Torbay’s reliance on the tourism industry can neither be ignored or the importance taken for granted safeguarding the tourism industry alone will not increase productivity or wage levels to the level desired by the local community. This will be achieved by encouraging growth in higher value occupations such as those in the electronic/photonics sector and support to the wider economy as identified in Torbay’s economic strategy.

These plans however focus on ensuring that the natural and physical environments of Torbay are used to support sustained growth in our visitor economy, improve the quality of experience for residents and visitors and result in additional investment to the three towns. Achieving these aims and attracting visitors and highly skilled employees requires investment in our town centres. Traditionally a difficult area to fund, a key priority for the Coastal Teams will be to improve the town centres to increase the attractiveness of Torbay to those groups.

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5 Background

In June 2015 Torbay Council approved two masterplans for the town centre areas in Paignton and Torquay. These masterplans provide a high level framework for the physical and economic regeneration of the three towns. They also:

• Help show local people what high quality development could look like and how it can come forward, including investment in local infrastructure such as green space, schools, roads and flood alleviation;

• Inform and add detail to Local and Neighbourhood Plans

• Show how the ambition shown in Local and Neighbourhood Plans can be delivered on the ground; and

Further masterplans for Torquay Gateway and Collaton St Mary setting out ambitions in these areas are also approved by the Council and in totality these plans are expected to bring forward an estimated 2,000 new jobs as a result of investment that will be triggered and attracted by the plans. These jobs will represent a significant increase to the productivity of the local area estimated to be in excess of £90M and the investment in physical regeneration is expected to be in excess of £100M however this figure needs further testing in line with the finalisation of the masterplans.

The masterplans have been produced in a collaborative, bottom up way - with particular emphasis on community engagement to ensure that the detail in the masterplans would have broad community support and ownership. This 'bottom-up approach' to public participation during the production phases, alongside a reflection of the community’s aspirations in each masterplan, has led to a high level of support for each masterplan by community and business groups.

Both town centre masterplans provide an illustrated plan for the town centres, driven by considerations of where both town centres should position themselves as tourism, retail and commercial destinations, as well as identifying the critical delivery mechanisms required to achieve this. Certain key sites have been studied in more detail and the masterplans illustrate the potential for new, exciting and beneficial development of these sites.

The delivery of these key projects will help make the town centres successful in their own right and help Torbay compete as a 21st Century resort of distinction. They will provide for a balanced and vibrant community and help the towns become the 'economic engines' for the wider area as they take on key roles, moving the economy towards high value, higher skilled employment and a higher value tourism offer.

The regeneration and success of Torbay’s town centres is arguably the single most

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important economic outcome to be achieved in the Bay. There has already been significant progress: new investment in harbour facilities; new hotels, apartments and retail facilities; investment in transport improvements; new work hubs. However, there is also concern about the slow pace of change and stalling of key projects.

The new Torbay Local Plan and Economic Strategy recognize the vital economic role of town centres and the fact that they are, literally and metaphorically, the shop windows of the Bay. The strategies identify town centres as the focus for urban renewal and new development. They promote an ambitious approach to new jobs and homes in town centres, increasing footfall and spend, and increasing visitor numbers and over-night stays.

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6 Key Projects

6.1 Torquay Coastal Community Team

The Torquay Town Centre Masterplan focuses on enhancement of the Harbour area, as the jewel in Torquay’s crown; improving and refocusing the retail offer; providing a wider mix of town centre uses, including office space, residential units and event space.

The key transformational projects identified by Torquay Coastal Community Team are:

• Torquay Town Centre: o Civic & Parks o Core Retail Areas o Harbour/ Leisure

Detailed plans and proposals are appended.

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6.2 Paignton Coastal Community Team

The Paignton Town Centre Masterplan focuses primarily on Paignton’s tourism offer, but also on development sites that will act as a catalyst for the delivery of wider change and renewal in Paignton. The masterplan also suggests traffic flow reversal, better walking links across the town centre and public space improvements.

The key areas and transformational projects identified by Paignton Costal Community Team are:

• Town Square • Sea front • Victoria Centre • Palace Square • Winner Street and Palace Avenue • Crossways and Torquay Road • Transport Hub • Paignton Harbour

Detailed plans and proposals are appended.

6.3 Brixham Coastal Community Team

The key areas and projects for Brixham Coastal Community Team are: : • Bolton Cross – the gateway to Brixham

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• Market Street – a cohesive transport system • Middle Street – the primary access road and artery to the fishing industry • Fore Street – the primary retail trading centre of Brixham • The Town Centre Redevelopment Site – (the missing link) an opportunity for change • The Inner Harbour – Brixham’s identity • The Outer Harbour – the future and beyond

Detailed plans and proposals are appended.

6.4 Sea Torbay

Torbay, recognised through UNESCO as the English Riviera Geopark, has a high environmental value and both the terrestrial and marine biodiversity is outstanding. The sheltered bay offers itself up to a wide variety of maritime uses such as sailing, waterskiing, diving and pleasure cruises.

Key projects identified in the Eco Tourism plan include;  Improving the marketing of the eco touirsm offer  Development of an eco tourism accreditation scheme  Promotion of the tourism activities available within the marine areas of Torbay

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7 Delivery

Each masterplans set out the blue print for the economic regeneration and key transformational projects, within each area.

The remaining funding from the Coastal Community Teams across Torbay will be used to

• Determine the viability and planning issues for projects identified within the masterplans

• Marketing the key opportunities for development, as identified within the masterplans – the opportunities will be promoted for private sector investment.

In the short term the key actions are;

 Disseminate the overarching plan to key stakeholders – February 2016  Agree priority projects for Brixham, Paignton and Torquay Town Centres – April 2016  Test delivery models for the priority projects – June 2016  Markets the opportunities available within the priority projects – June 2016 onwards  Ensure that the Tourism Strategy 2016-2021 encapsulates and builds on the Eco tourism action plan – April 2016  Support Sea Torbay in identification of funding in support of eco tourism product development – Summer 2016

The physical regeneration projects are likely to require at least a further 18-24 months before there are visible signs of progress.

7.1 Barriers

The key barrier to delivering the Local Economic Plan would be the failure to attract funding for the delivery of major projects. The projects included in the Plan have a high expectation for match-funding.

There will be a strong requirement for partnership working key strategic stakeholders such as Historic England in order to ensure the delivery of the projects. The local planning and highways authority form part of the Coastal Communities Team and will work closely with the projects in order to mitigate any risks.

Many of the plan's proposals will only happen with private sector investment, but this does not remove Torbay Council or other public bodies from their responsibilities for infrastructure and services. There is developer interest in bringing forward a variety of development

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schemes across the peninsula. This plan’s policies aim to steer and shape development, but it is expected that developer contributions will be gathered through S106 agreements,

7.2 Resources

Individual project teams will be responsible for each element of the Plan. The teams will be led by the asset owner. The Coastal Community Team will provide an overarching structure for delivery of the Plan, to ensure that synergies between projects are maximised and that there is a co-ordinated approach to potential funds.

The Brixham Coastal Community Team draws together a wide range of local expertise in the tourism, heritage and maritime sectors. There is extensive representation from the private, public and voluntary sectors.

7.3 Funding

We have identified a wide variety of potential funding streams for the projects included in the Local Economic Plan. These include:

 Developer contributions  Private sector investment  Coastal Communities Fund  Coastal Revival Fund  Heritage Lottery Fund  Arts Council England  Discover England Fund  Interreg IVa 2 Seas Programme  European Social Fund  Growth Deal Funding  Growing Places Fund

The Economic Plan will deliver long term sustainable economic growth to the local area by transforming it into an exciting destination or businesses, investors and visitors. It will provide a co-ordinated and coherent strategy for developing a prosperous and sustainable economy, by focusing on the enhancement, restoration and revival of key heritage assets, improving access, connectivity and promotion, the Plan will deliver:

 Investment in heritage assets  Business investment  Job creation  Skills development  Volunteering opportunities

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 Community cohesion

7.4 CCT Logistics

The Torbay Coastal Community Team’s draws together a wide cross section of the local community. It includes representatives from businesses and local tourism attractions, community and voluntary groups, along with the Unitary and town councils.

A project manager is responsible for co-ordinating activities, organising agendas and meeting, and for drafting the Local Economic Plan with input from all Team members.

Torbay Council will be responsible for the overall governance and leadership required to ensure the delivery of the aims and aspirations presented in the masterplan. A range of partners will need to be involved in order to ensure the delivery of individual elements of the masterplan, particularly in relation to key infrastructure, including improvements to the strategic road junctions, the sewer network, telecommunications and surface water drainage management.

As the local planning authority, the Council remains responsible for the consideration and approval of planning application proposals within the masterplan sites and the surrounding area. As such, development proposals which accord with the principles and aims of this masterplan will be considered favourably, albeit they must still comply with the development plan and other relevant policy and supplementary planning guidance in force at the time. Proposals for development which would prejudice the aim of the masterplan will be resisted as they would lead to difficulty in delivering the masterplan concept. Developers are encouraged to actively engage with the Council at an early stage in order to ensure that specific development proposals can be formulated in a way which supports the masterplan aims.

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