Torbay Palm Court development gets given the go ahead (From This is The West Country)

Torbay Palm Court development gets given the go ahead

1:50pm Wednesday 6th June 2012 in Devon

Torbay Council has given consent for the long awaited development of the former Palm Court Hotel site, Torquay.

Developers Havard Tisdale and their elected construction partners Mansell Construction Services Ltd, are expected to start on site this summer with work estimated to take around 18 months to complete.

The application is for a new landmark building designed to maximise the view over Torquay seafront and provide new employment and regeneration opportunities for Torbay residents.

The mayor of Torbay, Gordon Oliver, and the Council's economic development company, Torbay Development Agency, have worked closely with the developer and its architects Kay Elliott on the new building's design to ensure it reflects the aesthetic quality required for such a prestigious waterfront site.

Proposals are to include; 14 self-catering holiday apartments; 12 private residential apartments; two penthouse residential suites and four high quality restaurants; together with car parking and improvements to the surrounding highways and public spaces.

The development of the site is estimated to create in the region of 60 to 90 jobs in the commercial units on the ground floor, with a further 10-15 jobs created by the upper floor holiday apartments.

Mr Oliver said: "It's excellent news to see things moving forward on this prestigious waterfront site. As part of my election promise for Torbay, I vowed to deliver regeneration to key sites earmarked for development, and I'm delighted to announce the planning agreements have been finalised and we can look forward to the construction of a high quality building to take centre stage on Torquay's waterfront."

Steve Parrock, Chief Executive of the Council's economic development company, Torbay Development Agency said: "The proposals will see the re-creation of a landmark building for Torbay. We continue to work closely with the developers and their architects to ensure the development is a key asset to Torbay's waterfront."

Work on site is scheduled to start at the end of June.Further details of the design can be found online at www.consultation-online.co.uk/palmcourt.