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.

A Torquay Town Centre Vision has already been approved by the Cabinet.  The Cabinet is due to approve documents for Paignton and Brixham and an overarching Vision for Torbay over the next few months.

1.    that, subject to the inclusion of the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 4 December 2025 the Brixham Vision document be approved 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;

2.    that subject to the inclusion of the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 4 December 2025 the Torbay Vision document be approved to provide an overarching strategic place vision that works with the three Town Centre Visions and influences 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; and

3.    that the documents are updated as and when is necessary by presenting the revised document and evidence base to Cabinet.

To respond to the recommendation 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; and

·         create a future pipeline of investment priorities derived from the evidence used to produce the Visions and from our emerging Economic Plan.

Option 1 – Do Nothing – This would have resulted in handing back the One Public Estate (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.

This decision will come into force and may be implemented on 31 December 2025 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in the Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

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, had created the need for a place vision that links the funding and assets (development sites) together.  This would create a clear vision of how development sites work together to regenerate Torbay as whole, and at local level to address both the needs and exploit the opportunities of the economies of Brixham Port and Town Centre, Paignton Town Centre and Harbour and Torquay Town Centre and Harbour.  Change will come through using the overall vision across Torbay to shape existing and future proposals in line with the vision for Torbay and at a local level in more detailed the visions for Brixham, Paignton and Torquay.

The development proposals for the sites in Brixham that were currently being worked up have been produced iteratively with the delivery of Brixham Harbour/Town Centre Public Realm Improvements which have been delivered, the development of the proposals for Oxen Cove and Brixham Central area (Public Realm improvements, Transport Interchange and Car Parking).

The Overview and Scrutiny Board considered the Brixham Town Centre Vision and Torbay Vision report on 4 December 2025 and recommended approval subject to amendments.  At the meeting Councillor Chris Lewis proposed and Councillor Billings seconded a motion that was agreed unanimously by the Cabinet, as set out above.

Councillor Bye declared a non-pecuniary interest as he owns property in Fore Street, Brixham.