TOWN CENTRE IMPROVEMENT

Re-thinking approaches to urban renewal, involving communities and creativity in reshaping the ‘gateways’ to Torbay's town centres. We worked with partners on revitalised proposals for Paignton’s Station Square and Torquay’s Strand; and supported the preparation of public art guidance for Torbay’s harbours in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay.

Better built environments improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. Town centres are where people come together. Rightly or wrongly, they are often the location that determine visitors perception of the town as a whole.

Torbay Council’s Transformation Strategy identifies a number of priority areas for investment and regeneration. The aim is to shape more attractive and vibrant mix of uses, where the character and heritage of the place shines through. Under-exploited cultural assets have a critical part to play in the regeneration of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. We believe that putting culture at the centre of this work will ensure that character and heritage is drawn from local people and reflected in the resulting schemes in an authentic, inspiring and valued way.

The scope for this area of work was to deliver two project schemes from design stage to completion - Station Square, Paignton and The Strand, Torquay. In each location, the project aims were to deliver:

• High quality town centre proposals, developed and delivered in accordance with RIBA Stage processes

• Stakeholder consultation activity

• Creative public engagement activity

• Designs and drawings, commissioned from a design team that includes a lead artist

• Artistic commissions which integrate into the schemes.

In 2010, a project called 'Torbay Connected' was delivered by Torbay Council and partners to investigate how artists could be involved in the development of urban public spaces and we are building on this learning to integrate culture into the latest schemes.

With colleagues in TDA and Torbay Council we developed meaningful public engagement using creative methods, and put an artist into the design team. The projects are being delivered in phases as funding is secured.

Paignton Station Square

The scheme focuses on improvements around the railway station area, the junction of Victoria Street and Torbay Road. The project looks to create:

• A shared ‘gathering place’ for residents and visitors at this crucial arrival point in the town

• Better links between Paignton Station square, the town centre, heritage and culture sites (Winner Street, Palace Theatre, Paignton Picture House) and the sea front

• A catalyst for change in the station area, including the restoration of Paignton Picture House and a potential new civic hub around the library, bus and train stations (including rail station refurbishment) and

• Support for investment in other regeneration projects, including the Victoria Centre and Crossways.

The Strand, Torquay

This scheme will reconnect Torquay’s town centre with its harbour, creating a new, flexible urban space on the waterfront. It forms the first phase of a larger public realm improvement scheme that will include Cary Parade, Fleet Street and the Clock Tower/Torwood Street/Victoria Parade. The improvements will complement the work previously undertaken around Torquay Harbour in 2006. The project aims to deliver:

• The creation of Torquay Harbour as a destination in itself

• Better vehicle and pedestrian access with a new bus interchange and simplified road crossings, changing the location of bus waiting areas to make the most of the view of the harbour

• Improved seating, lighting and public spaces

• Support for investment in other projects including Harbour View, Princess Gardens, Royal Terrace Gardens, and the Harbour Hotel schemes.

Anticipated outcomes include:

• Increased vitality and dwell-time in the town centre, boosting businesses and the economy

• Further investment in Torbay, its town centres and in cultural interventions

• Increased awareness of local heritage, attracting additional visitors to the area

• Clearer sense of positive local identity and increased sense of pride amongst local people

• Added momentum to delivery of town centre regeneration, increasing market confidence and levering in private sector investment

• Higher profile for local creative and cultural practitioners and a greater sense of cultural value at strategic and grassroots level.

Learning from the project will inform the development of a new vision and strategy for public art in Torbay.

TDA is leading this project on behalf of Torbay Council. Torbay Culture is working with TDA and the Council to ensure that scheme designers, creative practitioners, local people and local organisations are involved in a creative, meaningful, engaging design period and artistic/heritage interventions are integrated throughout the final schemes. Ginkgo Projects were appointed in 2018 as the Lead Artist within the design team.

Following an open call, Adam Nathaniel Furman was commissioned as an artist for the Paignton scheme. Peter Marigold was commissioned as an artist for the Torquay scheme.

To find out more about this project, please visit www.investintorbay.com/town-centres-regeneration or contact [email protected].

This town centre development project was supported by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of Torbay's Great Place Scheme.

A design team for both schemes, including an embedded lead artist, was appointed in March 2018 to deliver public engagement, modelling and detailed designs to RIBA Stage 3. This work took place during 2018/19 and is being followed up through the Future High Streets Fund opportunity (see below)

May 2018 - Paignton community and business engagement through artist-led design workshop
June 2018 - Feedback to Paignton workshop participants through sharing of revised designs
July 2018 - Torquay Strand community and business engagement through artist-led design workshop
December 2018 - Feedback to Torquay Strand workshop participants through sharing of revised designs
January to April 2019 - Production of the RIBA Stage 3 designs and reports, incorporating all feedback, ideas and suggestions
April 2019 to early 2021 - Work to develop a toolkit which will inform public realm art for Torbay

Government investment from the Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund:

Government investment programmes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) - the Towns Fund and the Future High Streets Fund - have been secured for Torquay and Paignton respectively. Delivery will be led by Torbay Council, with TDA and a range of partners.

The announcement by MHCLG of £21.9m Towns Fund investment for Torquay was made during late summer 2020, and work on ‘accelerated projects’ totalling £750,000 - specifically for improvements at Upton Park, Princess Gardens and Royal Terrace Gardens - is now underway.

At the end of December 2020, MHCLG announced £13.36m investment from the Future High Streets Fund for Paignton.

More details can be found below at Torbay Council’s website:

Torbay Council regeneration plans

Torquay Towns Fund

Paignton Future High Streets Fund

A guide for artists - Torbay Harbours

We were asked to support the preparation of good practice guidance for Tor Bay Harbour Authority. Working with colleagues in the Council’s spatial planning team the following guidance was produced to manage enquiries for public art in Torbay’s harbours. These documents are below.