New Torquay Waterfront
Kay Elliott reveals new multi-million scheme for promenade, Hotel, apartments, retail and restaurants and public realm for Torquay Waterfront.
The Nicolas James Group are presenting Kay Elliott’s concept proposals for the Torquay Waterfront and Pavilion Project today, followed by a Public Exhibition on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week at Torquay Pavilion.
The exciting proposals which will transform Torquay Waterfront have been prepared by local Architects, Kay Elliott. The award winning Practice has undertaken detailed research as to the history of the area and key principles established by designers of the past have been retained. The scheme provides a new high quality destination for the region and creates a new vibrant hub of activity for the Bay. Kay Elliott are also working hard to ensure a cohesive and integrated design, linking their proposals to other areas of the Torquay and the Bay highlighted for or currently being improved, for example Rock Walk. Sensitive but exciting illumination will integrate the new public realm and promenade into other lighting schemes for other areas of the waterfront.
Kay Elliott’s sustainable scheme includes a 4* Waterfront Hotel which completes the sense of enclosure of the inner harbour space and a landmark Café and residential building adjacent to the old fish quay for which access is to improved. The scheme will also include the restoration of the Pavilion which will have a new use as a Casino and Entertainments Centre. The Banjo will be removed and the existing promenade will be brought up to the standard of an international waterfront with glass fronted café, restaurant, and shopping overlooking the space. The design will incorporate designs for restaurants and boutique shops, new open public realm and an entire new and wider promenade. In addition to all of these benefits, the scheme will be designed to take account of modern climate change specifications for sea defences and flood prevention, enhancing the current (lack) of protection to this area and structurally bringing this area of seafront up to the standards of the 21st Century.
The Princess Theatre, which has one of the largest auditoria in the South West, will have improvements to backstage facilities to help promote touring productions. The scheme also includes waterfront apartments and maintaines much needed car parking, together with new and improved facilities for Torquay Marina. The scheme is sensitive to and indeed significantly improves the much cared for Cenotaph, providing a new visual link for it to the sea, sadly lost when the Banjo was created.
This prestigious scheme provides tremendous benefits and will be a statement of change for the Bay. It will create hundreds of jobs, both directly and indirectly, and provide a wide economic benefit to the area. It will simultaneously provide much needed and significant capital improvements to the Bays infrastructure, including a whole new promenade and saved Pavilion. Derek Elliott says “the vision is clearly to put Torquay back on the map as one of the handsomest and most fashionable places in the British Isles”.
