Shopping centre demolition begins

Demolition work has begun at a former shopping centre in Torbay.

Torbay Council said a demolition contractor has started work to bring the former Crossways shopping centre in Paignton town centre down.

Gilpin Demolition Group has already started work on the site by removing the final fixtures and fittings from the units so work can begin to safely remove a significant amount of asbestos.

Cllr Christine Carter said: “After a complex and lengthy process, we are thrilled that the community will now start to see more and more activity happening at this site. It’s been an eye sore for such a long time and had such a negative impact on Paignton town centre, but we are there with starting the next chapter for Crossways, which is one of the key projects in our Future High Streets Fund programme.”

Planning permission has already been granted for the site to provide up to 90 extra care and sheltered housing units and commercial space on the ground floor for businesses.

TorVista Homes will own the homes once they are completed. The homes which are due to be completed in 2026 will be available as affordable housing for local residents.

This project is one of several projects in Paignton that is benefiting from £13.36m of funding we secured from the Future High Streets Fund in December 2020. Other projects benefiting from this funding include Station Square, Torbay Road, Paignton Picture House, the Victoria Centre, and Paignton and Preston Seafront Public Realm.