After months of uncertainty it was pleasing to read in the press this week many of our multi-million pound investment projects are still likely to go ahead.
My postbag has been full of residents asking "what is happening?” and “why aren’t things moving along with building and re-development?” I have been as frustrated and impatient to see the lack of building cranes and builders in Hi-Vis jackets as many locals.
The £28milion Torquay Pavilion hotel and flats development could get the green light before the end of the month. Discussions with the Nicholas James Group on planning aspects are continuing and nearly at a conclusion.
The recently launched Now Is The Time campaign is spot on. Torquay, Paignton and Brixham Town Centres are crying out for developments to bring jobs, prosperity and much needed tourists to the Bay. Whilst we will all have our individual preferences as to which scheme we most like or aspects of some we may not like, we have to get some investment underway if further decline is to be avoided.
We have many upcoming opportunities and I have been fortunate to see some of them start this month. The Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC) and the new South Devon College Hi-Tech Centre will between them see £25m invested in our bay.
It can be easy to only see the negative stories and do ourselves down. We must tackle the levels of deprivation and work to support those who are genuinely homeless and families in need of support, but we should not forget that there are many positive opportunities for our bay, and grab them with both hands.
I will continue to support and lobby central government for as much investment and support as I can, so in the months and years ahead we can see our communities flourish with great job prospects, decent homes for people and we can be proud of where we live.
“Now Is The Time” has never been more relevant and needed to remind us of what we can achieve if we all work together, as one team.