At last, Torquay eyesore is to go

Former Sifram building used to house major employer

A landmark building in Torquay that was once one of Torbay’s biggest employers is to be demolished.

The Elektron building on the Woodland Trading Estate was once the base of the Sifam engineering company that employed hundreds of local people making high-quality electrical instruments.

Now an application has been filed with Torbay Council for permission to knock it down.

Architects Kay Elliott have lodged the application to demolish the building and clear the site ready for redevelopment.

It belongs to drinks wholesaler Tolchards, which has its base next door and bought the old Sifam building last year.

The building is a three-storey concrete-framed office block, and local demolition firm Gilpin says taking it down could take 28 weeks. Work could begin next month if permission is given.

Any ‘noisy’ activity will take place between 9am and 5pm.

In recent years the site has been blighted by vandalism and anti-social behaviour, and many of its windows have been boarded up after being smashed.

Along with the STC factory at Paignton, Sifam was one of the biggest employers in Torbay during its heyday. The Torquay factory opened in December 1960 and established a pioneering fibre-optic division in 1985, but closed its doors after Sifam was acquired by Elektron Instruments in 2007.

In 2021 Torbay Council approved an earlier application to demolish the building and replace it with two industrial units.