The former Paignton's Crossways Shopping Centre is no more having been bulldozed down. But quite what the future for the prime town centre site is remains unclear as plans have yet to emerge from the rubble.

There had been plans to build 90 care and sheltered housing units on the site, but those plans never came to fruition. Torbay Council hopes to present new ideas for the site in the spring.

Any options for the future are likely to include affordable housing and possibly flats for key workers. But one man has a different vision for the site.

Writing into our sister print title the Herald Express, he says it should instead be utilised as a new Crossways car and coach parking facility and has set out his reasons why.

Read the full letter below

Regarding the demolition of the Crossways shopping centre in Paignton.

In August 2023, the cleared site was reportedly planned to have affordable sheltered housing built but the costings were too high for the council and the project was moth-balled. Building costs are suddenly going up in the UK and therefore an economic risk was identified.

However, given the council always requires car parking spaces to generate cash to help fill its coffers, could this site not be utilised into a new Crossways car and coach parking facility?

It is ideally located close to the middle of Paignton and in a suitable location for vehicles to turn in and out, via Hyde Road and Torquay Road.

If legally, this cannot be achieved, then as a reminder, the famous Victorian Palace Hotel in Torquay was demolished to make way for a new modern hotel but plans were suddenly changed in favour of upmarket homes instead – without any public consultation.

Presumably the same planning rules can be applied to the Crossways site?

The recent closing down of the long-established Lidl in Victoria Square near Paignton train station is a potential disaster for local community shoppers, as the shop helped the economic footfall in the area.

Being part of the social fabric, public precincts are vital and are often the reason why shopping centres are located nearby. Whatever precise future plans Torbay Council has for Victoria Parade, this public space should be protected and enhanced and not built on for corporate commercial needs.

Previous Torbay mayor Gordon Oliver believes the old gasworks site between Paignton and Torquay should be protected and turned into a public park. I agree.

This site has the potential to be a new green-lung rather than just another housing project for profit.

Although people certainly need homes, all housing projects should be carefully planned, with a balance to protect both the natural environment and people’s immediate needs.

I believe the empty gas works site has shown that the developer has put the interests of the economic market over and above immediate housing needs and therefore ideally, the site should be handed over to the community, for recreational and local wildlife needs.

The commercial development of the old Bobby’s/Debenhams site close to Torquay harbour seems to be based on turning the area into a open-space walkway, to mimic a Continental feel.

However, in winter this may well be a different story, as gales and cold weather will likely put people off.

The old Victorian ironwork canopy pillars reflected the original plans to protect visitors from these adverse elements. Once the rain covers are removed then people will have nowhere to take shelter.

Sadly, the old film noir atmosphere there will also be taken away for good. Foreign cultures regularly display flashing neon signs to advertise their shops.

Any new covered walkways in Torbay would benefit from this type of lighted advertising in the darker, seasonal months of the year.

Debenhams used to have an old, elegant wooden stairwell and an engineered working lift. Will this be preserved as a feature or demolished?

Yes to modern improvements but no to destroying the historic past in Torbay and pandering to the corporate world.

Peter Thorne

Paignton