Torbay's new shopping Centre

Replaced with sheltered units and extra-care housing

Plans have been submitted for the £20 million flagship regeneration scheme for the rundown Crossways shopping centre in Paignton town centre.

The ‘eyesore’ concrete complex including a multi-storey car park is now largely empty and for several years has been the focus for redevelopment plans.

Now Torbay Council has submitted a planning application to replace it with 89 units of sheltered and extra-care housing.

The proposals are for a five-floor block of 13 sheltered flats and a seven-storey block of 76 extra-care flats, with commercial units at street level.

Extra care housing is also known as assisted living where residents have self-contained flats but with staff available to provide personal care and support.

The scheme is now in a phase of formal public consultation, when comments can be made on the plans.

The shopping centre links Torquay Road and Hyde Road in the town centre and has been described as an ‘eyesore’.

Torbay Council has been in talks with the owner to buy the site, but is also pursuing a compulsory purchase order if the negotiations fail.

Details of the proposals were revealed in July for initial consultation ahead of the planning application going in.

The scheme is included in almost £19million worth of regeneration proposals for Paignton town centre being submitted for Government funding from the Future High Streets Fund.

Councillors voted to start the compulsory purchase process for the privately owned site in September 2019.

The scheme has an estimated cost of £22.5million and councillors approved borrowing £11million towards it.

The site has been zoned for redevelopment in local planning policies in recent years.

The legal process to take over control was expected to take up to 18 months to complete, so the council was hoping to strike a voluntary deal with the owner.

Torbay MP Kevin Foster has welcomed the redevelopment plans and described Crossways as the town’s “worst eyesore”.

Torbay Council’s leader Steve Darling said ahead of the application being submitted: “Residents in Paignton have been asking us to take control of this site and improve it for quite some time, so I am absolutely delighted that we are able to move this project forward.”

Cabinet member Swithin Long said: “We are really excited to be able to make progress on these plans which will provide a much needed boost to this area of Paignton by developing the land as an attractive retail, residential and employment space.”

Deputy leader of the council Darren Cowell said: “It is the perfect location for the extra care housing because the site is close to a range of facilities and has good public transport links.

“The new accommodation will also provide additional footfall in the town centre.”

The public consultation period ends on Wednesday, September 2.