News courtesy of Kevin Foster
(MP for Torbay)
Plans for Edginswell Rail Station Submitted
Detailed plans for the first new station in Torbay since World War 2 were submitted to the Council. The proposed station at Edginswell will serve not just the nearby housing estates and business park, but create a new travel option for staff working at Torbay Hospital. It will be served by trains running on the Riviera Line from Exmouth to Paignton.
The new station is expected to open in 2018, and will consist of two platforms, both with access to shelters, ticket machines, real time information lighting and CCTV. The station will be fully accessible to all with pedestrian access from both Newton Road and Riviera Way via steps, ramps and a footbridge to platform level. Cycle access will also be provided from Newton Road with a cycle shelter at the entrance.
You can read the full planning application on the council website by clicking here.
Latest News on Oldway
This week the Council issued a short statement confirming that the developers had commenced legal action against the council. This was reported in the Herald Express and you can read it by clicking here.
Findings of Council Review Published
At the end of last year a team from the Local Government Association was invited to conduct a Peer Review of Torbay Council.
A Peer Review is an assessment of a council’s structure and ability to deliver its key objectives. Whilst the team undertaking one will look at how decisions are made and the effectiveness of management systems, they do not comment on particular local issues.
The results of the review were published this week and included a range of comments on key aspects of the council’s work. The initial purpose of the review was to look at the Council’s financial position. The report confirms that the Council is financially viable and that its funding challenges were comparable to similar areas nationally.
A key point picked up was the need for the Council to develop a clear long term vision of where it wants to see our bay in decades to come.
You can read more on the Council website by clicking here.
Apprenticeships Figures Released
The latest figures for the number of apprenticeships started in Torquay and Paignton since 2010 were released this week.
It was confirmed that over the last 6 years 6,160 young people have started an apprenticeship in the area. This compares to 3,800 in the neighbouring Totnes Constituency (which covers Brixham) during the same period.
South West Water Starts Work
An £800,000 scheme to improve Torquay’s sewer network starts in the Sherwell Valley Road area on Monday, 8 February 2016.
The South West Water scheme includes laying new sewers, replacing other sewers with larger pipes and replacing manholes in order to separate the foul and surface water systems. These improvements are designed to prevent foul sewage from entering the surface water network. As part of the works, South West Water will be extending the existing underground storm storage tank in Rocket Park, off Mallock Road.
Two-way traffic lights will be in use where necessary. Mallock Road will be closed to traffic between No.77 Mallock Road and the junction of Sherwell Valley Road from Monday 9 May for three weeks. The working area in Rocket Park will be securely fenced off and the park will be reinstated on completion.
The scheme will be delivered in stages and will take around 16 weeks to complete.
Getting the Bay Buzzing
Torbay Council and wildlife charity Buglife are working together to launch a new local nature initiative to help stop the decline in the population of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.
Torbay’s Buzzing will be aiming to support these declining insect populations by filling Torbay’s parks and green spaces with wild flowers. The funding, which Torbay Council have committed £20,000 to along with a grant of £28,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), will be used to transform areas of mown grass from green deserts into havens for wildlife and people.
In total over five hectares, which is the equivalent of five football pitches, will be enhanced across sites in Torbay, Paignton and Brixham. Torbay’s Buzzing will also be giving tired flowerbeds a makeover by adding nectar and pollen-rich flowers to create “Pollinator Cafes”, and planting blossom-rich trees for bees.
To get involved in wild flower planting and other bug activities, please contact Joanne Gilvear at Buglife on 01752 395188, or e-mail joanne.gilvear@buglife.org.uk
Young Artist Needed For New Library Card
Torbay Libraries are looking for children and young people with a flair for design to help them produce new library cards for their members, whilst also celebrating Torbay’s rich heritage.
As part of their Heritage Lottery Funded project Celebrating Torbay, the library want to create new, attractive library cards that feature aspects of Torbay’s past. The Design a Library Card competition is open to all children and young people between the ages of five and 16 inclusive and will be split into two age groups, five – 11 and 12 – 16, for judging.
Aspiring designers are invited to submit their designs, using any tools they like, from pencil and paint to digital illustration. Just pop into your local library to collect the entry form and design template. Entrants have until Saturday 20 February 2016 to submit their designs.
Devolution Bid
There has been lots of talk on the news about Devolution deals for the Great Northern Cities, yet one could also be on its way for Devon & Somerset after a formal bid was submitted by our area.
Local Council and business leaders have agreed to submit a prospectus to Government that would result in higher productivity and better-paid jobs, improved road, rail and broadband links and more homes for the region’s growing population.
There would be radical reforms to integrate health and social care to allow the ageing population to be better looked after, tailored support for growing businesses and the creation of a centre of excellence for skills development.
The bid follows months of concentrated work by council chiefs in Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay with 13 district councils, Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, the local NHS and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.
The need for focused work to improve our economy is highlighted by the fact that productivity in the South West is running at less than 80 per cent of the national average.
Diary Date For Job Seekers
South Devon employers, who are actively recruiting, will be exhibiting at a Jobs Fair in Torquay on Friday 4 March.
Sponsored by TUC Union Learn and delivered by TDA and Jobcentre Plus in partnership. This free event will take place in Torquay’s Town Hall Assembly Rooms from 10am to 3pm. The event will provide job seekers the opportunity to meet with over 50 local employers.
Employers from across Torbay and South Devon will be on hand to offer seasonal and permanent employment opportunities with their company. So if you or someone you know is looking for work do pop this date in your diary.
Events
Sun 31st Jan: 11.00am-3.00pm, Free admission, Wedding Fayre, Imperial Hotel, Park Hill Road, Torquay
Wed 3rd Feb: 10.00am-12.00pm, Free admission, Celebrating Torbay Family History Group, Torquay Library. Call for info 01803 208300
Wed 3rd Feb: 2.30pm, Cockington Bygones Lecture by author Brian Read,Torquay Museum, Babbacombe Road, Torquay. Admission £4 for non-members.
Thurs 4th Feb: 7.30pm, Torbay Film Club – Hiroshima Mon Amour. St Matthias Church, Babbacombe Road, Torquay
Sat 6th Feb: 7pm until midnight, Charity fun night in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Appleby’s, Shedden Hill, Torquay.
Sat 6th Feb: 7pm, Feline Network Variety Show, Palace Theatre, Paignton. Tickets £5
Sun 7th Feb: 11am-3pm, Devon Wedding Show, Riviera Centre, Torquay. Free admission.
