Client
Torbay Council and TDA
Services
The first stage of our work involved preparing a Town Investment Plan which captured the ambition of the Torbay Town Deal Board, providing a clear strategic overview of the needs of Torbay, proposed interventions, and the economic benefits that these will generate. The Town Investment Plan reflected the likely impact of Covid-19 on the local economy and its contribution to subsequent recovery, and the plan is consistent with Government Guidance on the Town Deal fund.
Preparing the Town Investment Plan involved consultation to prepare a vision for Torbay in 2030 and a set of objectives to achieve this. The vision and objectives were informed by the challenges and opportunities identified in a detailed contextual analysis of the local economy undertaken by HJA. Our analysis considered factors such as deprivation and anti-social behaviour, town centre vacancies and footfall, employment land and premises, employment and skills, transport, housing and the impact of Covid-19. This analysis helped inform the focus of the Town Investment Plan, which focused on town centre transformation through improvements to the public realm, the commercial and residential offer, and connectivity to the wider town and town centre. Eight projects were identified, which aligned with the objectives for the future of Torquay. These include:
- Public realm transformations in the town centre
- Redevelopment of a landmark site
- Acquisition and redevelopment of a high-profile site
- A new railway station
- Redevelopment of a derelict heritage pavilion building for leisure and retail uses
- Support for cultural events
- Helping residents to prepare for work, and develop careers in important local sectors
Following the successful bid for funding, full business cases were produced for the eight projects identified in the Town Investment Plan. The businesses cases were required to substantiate the aims set out in the Town Investment Plan and needed to be compliant with Government and HM Treasury guidance on business case development.
In 2022 we helped our client to update the business case for their largest Town Deal project.
