Torquay pubgoers vent about life in Devon's famous holiday town

Torquay is one of the country's best seaside towns - the pride of Devon. With a spectacular natural coastline, beaches, history and attractions it has the potential to be a magnet for investment and opportunity.

Huge projects are either in the pipeline or already underway. The new Corbyn Head Hotel, pedestrianisation of the harbourside, ideas to supercharge the visitor experience at Kents Cavern among them.

But like many seaside towns it also has its problems. DevonLive has reported on the dire state of Castle Circus, the rise in the number of homeless people, an exodus of high street shops, a sense of loss for the golden era of the British holiday in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

It also has some great pubs. At the bottom of Fleet Street is the mighty Green Ginger, the town's main Wetherspoon pub. Its windows overlook the main shopping street, a short walk from the marina, the abandoned former Living Coasts attraction, the crumbling Pavilion and the noisy works continuing by the harbour.

Where better to test the pulse of the town? And maybe enjoy a drink or a meal.

DevonLive visited the pub in search of honest and mostly sober opinions from local people and visitors about what makes Torquay a great place to live and what issues are driving them mad. Their unfiltered opinions are a barometer of feelings about the town and its future by the people who love it the most.

As one group of friends say: "This is where we sort out the world's problems."

These likely lads know a thing or two about the town having grown up there.

"It's not the same as it used to be," says Jerry. "Certainly it's changed the last four years since covid. In the 60s and 70s it was rammed. You should see pictures of bus station, you couldn't get another coach in there.

"They always say when Marks and Spencer moves out the town dies. They left the town centre what must be 20 years ago. Now it is out of town at the Willows."

"There's hardly anything here," says Ron. "There's not a man's shop in the town."

Bill is not holding back.

"When is this rat's a**e of a council ever going to learn about pedestrianisation. It never works and they are going to ruin this town that lot.

"How do they expect old people to go down the town? They can't take a car and they can't take a bus. They think they're going to turn this into some kind of Monte Carlo where they're going to sit there at a table and pay astronomical fees for coffee and that's what they think the town's going to run on is it? They want to get some local people on the council. People that were born here.

"Look at Fleet Street and Torwood Street, there's not a shop open there because people won't go down there. People don't want to walk down there carrying bags and everything else they want to park up, go in, if there's a parking meter 50p, three or four shops in the car and gone.

"People go out of town shopping because of the free parking. They rip the motorist off for parking. They've got so greedy and people don't use them and wonder why the car parks are empty. You should be able to have parking half an hour free. Do your shopping, all the shop keepers will be doing a trade.

"We used to go on the beach at Easter and never come out of it. The old people won't be able to get down there will they? Do they think they're just going to fill it up with yuppies in their twenties and thirties where you can sit down and pay five or six pounds for a coffee which is c**p anyway and six pounds for a pint of beer. People aren't going to use it."

Torbay Council meanwhile says its long-term strategy is to transform Bay into a thriving place where people invest, work, live and visit and ambitious regeneration plans are in the works.

Mark and Lynette Wright and visiting from Loughborough. They are typical of the hundreds of thousands of people who for generations have found the English Riviera a palm tree abundant escape from daily life.

"We're staying at the Devonshire Hotel and it's a lovely place," says Lynette. "The people here are friendly. We came for the first time in February and enjoyed it so much we've come down again for five nights. It's a coach trip and we'll probably come back down sometime in the summer I think."

Mark says: "I came down for work a long time ago - 30 years so I can see the changes in the place. Some for the better. It's 50/50 I just love the town, it's very friendly, I like Torquay."

Gary, who doesn't want to give his surname, says: "I've lived here for 68 years. There's a lot of empty shops and lot of people sleeping on the street. But you get it anywhere.

"The town centre's changed. I do drive but don't drive down here [into town]. Public transport is fine and not a problem. If I go shopping I go out to the bigger supermarkets. I don't shop down here.

"I think they're doing some improvements. That place over there [the Pavilion] is closed and a bit of an eyesore. It's just sat there rotting away."

What are the main issues facing the town?

John Matthews and Geoffrey Smith are enjoying a morning coffee at one of the many tables scattered near the bar. They say Castle Circus is giving the town a bad name.

Geoffrey says: "Down and outs, begging, it's filthy and all the shops closing. That's the reality in Torquay at the moment.

"It don't look good when you've got people coming from up country and you've got them half cut on drugs. It gives Torquay a bad name. It's Castle Circus and Factory Row where they hang out but they're progressing now further up the road."

John adds: "I've reported drug selling for three months, they've sent a car twice and twice they've missed them. They're even doing it in the parks with kids in, it's on a school run. There's kids walking past and they're blatantly selling drugs. Everybody local knows who it is. Maybe they [the police] are looking at the bigger picture, I don't know."

Geoffrey thinks police don't have enough resources to tackle all the drug problems.

He adds: "The response from the police is you can't report drug selling on 999, you've got to use their helpline by which time the deal is done and they've moved on."

John says the problem is getting worse in Barton Road, Geoffrey sees drug dealers operating openly near the cricket club.

"I have neighbours with children that won't allow their children out in the street," says John. "It was a nice area. It's intimidating every time you go out."

Geoffrey adds: "I think it's getting worse. It's a steady decline. Drug selling is moving further out of the town into residential areas and that attracts the wrong kind of people. Everyone's got problems but you can't keep turning the other cheek."

Brian Potts is visiting from Seaton but is originally from Manchester. He owns a caravan in Paignton. He highlights the cultural attractions where many people like to spend their money.

"I've visited more often in last two years. We go to the theatre, there's the shops and the restaurants. I think it's improving all the time to be honest. It's always good to see the hotels being spruced up in any town. Paignton has good beaches and there is always something going on on the front there.

"I have not found any issues with parking. Different places, different prices. I go to Lyme Regis and parking prices bloody astronomical there."

Sandra Major is down from Gloucestershire meeting friends Vivienne and Roy Zelionka from Exmouth.

She says: "It's a mess down the front at the moment [millions are being spent to pedestrianise the harbourside and temporary traffic restrictions are causing delays for motorists]. "The last time we came there wasn't anything like that. All the buses can't go down there."

Vivienne says: "As a child when I used to holiday here it was quite a nice place. But over the years it's got worse and worse. We like to come across to see the show at the theatre. But I wouldn't come particularly for a day out. There is a boat trip from Exmouth to either Torquay or Brixham but I would always choose Brixham. But people live here and they are very happy here.

"If they want people to come they need to make the car parking cheaper. More of them, the connections on the buses and trains better and a reasonable price because we know where to park for free but a lot of people don't.

Roy adds: "The actual town itself has gone down over the years. Late eighties, 90s it was nice. But now it just looks shabby.

"The pedestrian area would be a good idea. It just needs something to lift the town. It's like most places it's becoming a bit of a ghost town because all the shops are going. It's the same everywhere, Exmouth as well, they're shutting hand over fist.

Any positives?

"Devon's a lovely place to live. We come from Buckinghamshire originally and we escaped the rat race and we have never regretted it. We've been here nearly 40 years.

Roy says: "I love Devon. Where we live in East Devon is a little more subdued. There's no kiss me quick in East Devon, it's just a gentle nice place. If you go down the seafront what is there actually there? Hasn't the aquarium place [Living Coasts] gone? When you go there and it looks shabby people think it is shabby."

What are the main issues in the town?

Tony Law, Darren Speight and Tony King have arrived for a pint and are sat around a table, picking out the winners from today's horse races.

Tony, who came to Torquay from London after retirement, says: "Shops shutting down, killing high street because everyone is buying online. You've got the rough sleepers, it's not their fault but we seem to attract them. There's no work for the young people at all. Same as any other tourist resort.

"The only jobs are in the tourist industry and that's minimum wage."

Darren highlights the issues of rough sleepers and the hostel at Factory Row. "There's an alley there and that's just drugs and a lot of nasty people. There was a stabbing recently. It can be intimidating. My daughter has to pass it on the way to work and I'm always a bit wary for her and go to meet her. It's blatant down there."

Tony adds: "You never see any police. The most police I saw was when we were under the covid restrictions questioning people what they're doing out. We never see them now. Don't even see the cars now.

Do you see things getting better in Torquay?

Tony said: "No, they've spent a lot of money outside Debenhams its an awful lot of work to achieve what? They're going to do some of the shops up but who's going to move in there? When Primark leaves that's the end of the high street.

"I think generally they tend to look after the place. I think the council does a reasonable job to make to it look nice in the gardens. They do their best."

A spokesperson for Torbay Council said: “Our long-term strategy for Torbay is to create a Bay as the place to invest, work, live and visit.

"Our Strand (harbour) public realm project, which is being delivered using a share of £21.9million of Town Deal funding started in late 2023. Work on the project is due to be completed in the autumn. It will be a modern, pedestrian friendly space with new planting and seating and will offer a ‘plaza’ style feel, providing the perfect backdrop for other harbourside developments and investment opportunities.

“Public and private sector investment secured by Torbay Council over recent years is allowing us to move forward with ambitious redevelopment and regeneration plans. In 2023, we set out to secure a delivery partner for several key sites across Torbay. We achieved this by securing Willmott Dixon and Milligan and are in the process of finalising scheme options for a range of sites.

“Our plans will deliver much-needed improvements to our town centres, provide new homes, create year-round job opportunities, improve infrastructure, and attract further investment and commercial interest. Using the expertise of our regeneration partner we are working through the investment opportunities that Torbay presents and will be taking these opportunities to the UKREiiF event in May 2024.”