£20 million on South Hams projects

8 approved and 1 deferred.

Eight schemes, which involve capital investment of £20.86m, were granted approval to proceed by the council’s executive committee.

A ninth scheme, for a budget supermarket on town centre car park in Ivybridge, was deferred for further discussion over the impact of car parking in the town.

The schemes will support regeneration and the economic activity of the district, the executive were told.

The next step for the council will be to finalise terms with prospective tenants and enter into agreement to lease, with all the projects except for the commercial land in Sherford expected to be completed within three years.

The £20m investment in commercial development opportunities approval came on the same day that the council announced a programme of improvements to Market Square in Totnes.

KINGSBRIDGE HOTEL

A new hotel in Kingsbridge will be built by the council on the former Rope Walk Resource Centre Site and then let to a major UK hotel operator.

The proposal is for a 4/5 storey, 79 bedroom hotel, that based on an 80 per cent occupancy and 1.5 person/room, would bring a minimum of 34,600 additional visitors to Kingsbridge per year.

Cllr John Tucker, leader of the council, said that it would enhance the town centre and that for every £1 of direct spend in tourism, there is a further £1.90 in extra spending supported elsewhere in the economy.

If this is applied to an average room rate of £60/night, the total additional annual spend in the economy of Kingsbridge and surrounding area, excluding room costs, would amount to £3.9m per annum.

Cllr Nicky Hopwood said that she really supported the plans, saying the projected figures would provide an excellent investment in the economy and will be brilliant for the area.

Cllr Keith Wingate said that in principle he supported the plans. He added: “It supports the economy of Kingsbridge and the area as a whole and will be a useful facility in the heart of the South Hams. I am keen to see it redeveloped as it has been derelict for a long time,” before adding that as the council would own the building, if it was not a successful venture, then it could be turned into flats.

STEAMER QUAY OFFICE DEVELOPMENT

A small two storey office on a brown field site at Steamer Quay in Totnes will be developed to provide approximately 240m2 of office space, across the ground and first floor.

Cllr Tucker said that the council was approached by a local firm of architects wanting new offices. The building would be designed and specified by the proposed tenant to meet with their requirements and then be leased to the tenant on a long, full repairing and insuring lease.

Cllr Simon Wright said: “This is a fabulous opportunity to use a valuable bit of derelict land to support a local company.”

The project would support a local firm wishing to invest in its future in Totnes and continue to provide secure highly skilled jobs in the area, and provides scope for expansion and additional job creation, the executive were told.

COMMERCIAL LAND IN SHERFORD

The council will purchase 10 acres of land at the north east part of Sherford, as part of 30 acres of commercial land that is being developed.

Cllr Tucker said: “This is a golden opportunity for a large piece of land to be developed by us for commercial activity, as it is ideally located next to the A38. It is not often the council has been able to provide sites for companies wishing to stay or move to the area for expansion.”

The site will have road access as well as services brought to the edge of the site and the land could provide the District with between 10 to 20 years of commercial land supply.

Cllr Keith Baldry said the council should be investing in the South Hams part of Sherford, but that they should also be investing in the retail and affordable housing part of Sherford as well.

Full council will need to approve using council reserves to fund the acquisition of 10 acres of employment land at Sherford.

BEESANDS BEACH HUTS

The council own a piece of land at Beesands and propose to construct seven chalet style beach huts on the site to provide tourist accommodation in the village. The proposal includes the provision of a new play park on the site and the demolition of the existing toilet block.

Assuming an average occupancy rate of 170 nights a year and an average of 2.5 people per stay, a further 425 visitor nights would be spent in Beesands over the year and would add a further £144,000 to the local economy.

Cllr Hopwood said: “This is a redevelopment of a key piece of land we own and the additional of beach huts is an excellent idea and help with tourism.”

However she said that she was disappointed that Stokenham Parish Council didn’t want to take on the maintenance and responsibility of the toilets or the play park, which could leave the district council having to run them.

Cllr Julian Brazil said: “The parish council were generally supportive of the scheme, but when came up they would be footing the bill to run the toilets, they were totally opposed to it. It is vitally important to the tourist industry that there are toilets there but unfair that the burden of running toilets falls entirely upon the parish council.”

The approach taken to the public toilets and play-park as part of this scheme has yet to be determined, but the scheme will move forward.

SHADYCOMBE CAR PARK, SALCOMBE

A single car park deck on the site of the Shadycombe car park to provide approximately 30 extra spaces is proposed to be built.

The executive heard that the proposal was presented at a stakeholder workshop held in Salcombe in October, and it was generally well supported, and the scheme provides a direct economic return to the council and will provide greater capacity for visitors to park in Salcombe, which in turn supports footfall and spend in the town,

While the proposal is only at concept stage, it is envisaged that the deck structure will connect to the higher part of the car park, and span over the lower carpark, and would be subject to planning permission.

Cllr Tucker said that it would be an extra 30 spaces on a single deck that would be provided that would try to help address the car parking situation in the town.

Cllr Wright added that although it doesn’t address all the issues, it goes a long way to help. He added: “The town council are supportive but it would need to be in keeping with the area.”

SALCOMBE HARBOUR WORKSHOP

The Salcombe Harbour Authority have a workshop located on Island Street but has become too small for modern day operational practices as boat and equipment sizes increase.

It is proposed to apply for planning and then construct a new workshop for the Harbour Authority located by the slipway in Batson. This building would provide a modern efficient building that would meet the operational requirements of the Harbour Authority.

Cllr Tucker said that there are a number of issues with the existing workshop and the council planned to erect a new building that will be fit for purpose for a number of years, while Cllr Wright said that as the current workshop is beginning to fail, they should seize the opportunity now.

But Cllr Brazil said the annual rent was a slight stumbling block for the Harbour Authority as it would rise from £18,000 a year to £45,000, which would be too steep for them.

EMPLOYMENT UNITS IN BATSON

The development of the units at Batson will provide direct employment benefits to the community in Salcombe, much of which is marine related, and will provide space for existing businesses who are unable to find space on Island Street as the character of that area moves away from marine and industrial usage.

Planning permission has already been granted but just needs to be financed, and Cllr Wright said: “I could have funded this single-handedly if everyone who has wanted this to come forward had given me a £1 towards it.”

DARTMOUTH HEALTH AND WELLBEING HUB

A new Health and Wellbeing Centre in Dartmouth will be brought forward on land next to the park and ride at the top of the Dartmouth

South Hams District Council have provided a parcel of land to construct a purpose-built Health and Wellbeing Centre to the NHS Trust’s specification.

The new centre, which could be located on part of the overflow park-and-ride car park, located just outside Dartmouth on the A3122, where it joins with the A379 by Lidl supermarket, would be leased on a 25 plus year basis

The new building would include the GP practice, a pharmacy, services that are currently being provided from the Dartmouth Clinic site and a base for voluntary sector organisations.

Council officers were given approved to continue to negotiate the way forward on financing and design of the new centre.

Cllr Rosemary Rowe said: “I welcome this move forward as we have been waiting for a while. Keeping a hospital in the town was never possible, but the prospect of a new health and wellbeing hub on our land, where there is car parking, and where it will serve Dartmouth and the parishes that surround it is good.”

Dartmouth’s own town hospital was closed last year as part of the reorganisation of health services in South Devon but a new health and wellbeing centre was due to be established.

A meeting of the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Board in November confirmed that the park and ride site was where it would be located.

TOTNES MARKET SQUARE

The enhancement programme looks to deliver replacement bespoke steps with integrated planters and seating areas.  The existing ramp will be widened and re-levelled and clad in oak sleepers with additional improvements to lighting.

Mosaic art pieces produced by a local artist and school children will be included in the design, together with a new drinking water fountain.

The entire area will be resurfaced with the improvements being scheduled to avoid peak use in the summer season and during December when the Christmas Markets take place.

The timeline for the improvement projects will be phased over a 12 -18 month period starting in autumn 2019.  The steps and ramp are to be completed in 2019 with the surfacing to follow in early 2020.

Cllr Tucker said: “This is an exciting opportunity to work in close partnership with Totnes town council to improve an important piece of public realm to the quality and standard it deserves.   We are delighted help bring this scheme forward and know the improvements will further enhance the town.  We will make sure that work will be carried out around key dates for the market area and developed with community use firmly in mind.”

Catherine Marlton, Totnes Town Clerk, added: “I am hopeful that this project can bring real benefits and prove that Councillors are willing to respond and invest in priorities the community raise.”