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THE HUB PROJECT
£36M for Torquay Town Centre
Torquay’s town centre is often the subject of debate and occasional criticism. A lack of private sector investment over a sustained period of time has left many Torquay residents feeling like the best that the town centre has to offer lies in a memory of a Torquay of the past.
However, new plans for an injection of £36M could pave the way for an influx of new businesses, jobs and prosperity at a time when many analysts are saying that the worst of the recession is now over.
Deputy Mayor Chris Lewis said: "There hasn't been any major private sector initiatives
in the town centre in the last 20 years and this project will act as a catalyst for further regeneration in the Bay. We
estimate 1,000 long and short term non-
The planned use of the £36M includes the complete refurbishment of Torquay Town Hall which is almost 100 years old, including a new café, a much larger Connections area and a suite of meeting rooms open during evenings and weekends.
The hub project also involves creating up to 40,000 square feet of new office space on the Town Hall car park to attract more businesses, jobs and inward investment to Torquay. The council will invest in facelift grants to help improve the appearance of buildings in the top part of Union Street and promote the buildings the council vacates to other businesses.
“This is the time for us to invest in our economy and it
is just one of many projects to help our town centres." Lewis said.
Subject to planning permission, work is expected to start on the Town Hall later this year and will finish in 2011.
Left, The Holy Grail by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Torre Abbey have The Children’s Holiday on show by William Holman Hunt.
Together with John Everett Millais, the three painters formed the Pre-
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