1.         That the Cabinet receives the “Developing a resilient future for Oldway” masterplan and its supporting reports and expresses its thanks for the work of the Oldway Mansion and Grounds Working Party and the project team led by Katherine Findlay in the production of the masterplan.

2.         That the Director of Pride in Place identifies and prepare bids for external grants, to address the conservation deficit at Oldway Mansion and its grounds.

3.         That the Director of Pride in Place seek expressions of interest from investors and occupiers, to work with the Council to ascertain the extent to which the vision of the “Developing a resilient future for Oldway” masterplan can be achieved.

4.         That, as a matter of urgency, the Director of Pride in Place in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Cabinet Member for Place Development and Economic Growth and Cabinet Member for Housing, Finance and Corporate Services identifies funding of circa £1M for an initial programme of repair and maintenance to ensure that the Mansion is wind and watertight.

To ensure that Oldway Mansion and the grounds support renewed pride in place in Paignton and across Torbay and the site contributes to Torbay’s economic growth.  Oldway has a rich heritage and an equally rich potential to support heritage, culture and leisure opportunities for Torbay’s residents and visitors.

An alternative option would be to do nothing this would result in the status quo. Doing nothing would see pressure on the repair and maintenance budget continue to grow as the site degrades.  It was also likely that doing nothing would have an impact on the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s willingness to support the Council at other sites.  The recent designation of Oldway by Historic England as an at-risk site emphasises the challenges of the site and the importance of the site beyond Torbay.  Therefore, this option was discounted.

This decision will come into force and may be implemented on 18 December 2023 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in the Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

Oldway Mansion continues to be a valued heritage site for Paignton and the wider area.  The National Lottery Heritage Fund supported the ‘Developing resilient future for Oldway’ project.  The project provided a masterplan and supporting reports which identified and celebrated the local, regional, and international significance of aspects of the Mansion. The masterplan had been consulted on with extensive work by the project team to provide opportunities for the community to shape the recommendations. The submitted masterplan provided the Council with a robust platform to address the conservation challenges at the site and renew Oldway as an important asset. 

At the meeting Councillor Chris Lewis proposed and Councillor David Thomas seconded a motion that was agreed unanimously by the Cabinet, as set out above.

None.