Torbay awarded £1 million for two projects

Brixham & Torre Marine get upgrades

Torbay is to receive £1 million of government grants to help kickstart house-building projects in Brixham and Torre Marine.

The council will get £675,000 for the redevelopment of Brixham town centre multi-storey car park and £415,000 to carry out groundworks at Torre Marine.

It is hoped the money for Brixham will help the council turn the site of the old multi-storey car park, which was demolished in 2004, into 70 homes.

At Torre Marine, the ambition is to make the building of 78 assisted living homes financially viable. This is a type of housing where residents receive help with tasks such as washing, dressing, taking medication or going to the lavatory while maintaining more independence than in care homes.

Councillor Steve Darling (Barton with Watcombe, Liberal Democrat), leader of the Lib-Dem-Independent alliance that governs Torbay Council, said: “It is fantastic that Torbay has secured this funding to allow us to hopefully accelerate the development of these two key sites if initial investigation works go to plan. 

“In Torbay this summer we have seen record numbers on our housing waiting list and a severe shortage of care accommodation. The lack of housing supply has created a housing crisis in Torbay, therefore a project to accelerate the building of new housing is great news for our residents and the local community.”

The latest report by Devon Home Choice found that as of 1 July this year, more than 1,400 households were in housing need in the Bay.

Councillor Dave Thomas (Preston, Conservative) leader of the Conservatives at Torbay Council, also welcomed the news. He said: “It’s fantastic news for Torbay…It’s great news from the national government supporting Torbay.

“Our MPs have been able to deliver huge amounts of money, huge amounts of support for Torbay.”

The money for the projects follows a successful application from the council to the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF), a kitty aimed at helping local authorities to bring forward brownfield sites for housing development. This week £58 million was allocated to councils across the country as part of the government’s ‘levelling up’ aims.

A total of £8.4 million in funding for projects across Devon was announced on Tuesday 12 October, with more than £7 million coming from the BLRF and almost £1.4 million coming from Self and Custom Build Grant funding.

Alongside Torbay, North Devon District Council, Teignbridge District Council and Exeter City Council are all set to receive funds. Exeter was the biggest winner, awarded almost £6 million for five projects.