The MDA recently carried the report of the review of the TDC Executive decision relating to the proposed investment in Newton Abbot.

The review identified that the Executive had acted outside of their authority in not bringing the proposed plans before the full council and that they could not justify their proposal to spend £70,000 on a project that was not deliverable as part of the Future High Street fund allocation.

The meeting highlighted the significant deviations from council policy and the failure to consult or seek expert advice to justify their decisions.

No reference was made by the executive to justify why their decision was a major deviation from the council strategy to generate jobs and investment in the town centre.  The loss of 30 new jobs or loss of over £10million into the local economy to support high street businesses was not part of their considerations.

The situation now is that the procrastination and dithering which has led to this delay has resulted in the loss of the new cinema and the two new supporting restaurants that underpinned the creation of a new, vibrant entertainment hub alongside a repurposed Alex theatre and regenerated market hall.

The two projects managed by Devon County Council will be delivered but of the two projects controlled by Teignbridge one cannot proceed and one is now in serious doubt.

The impact of these failures are of major impact to residents, we lose footfall to support our high street, we lose ability to attract future investment from the government and we are not delivering the jobs and town centre investments the council strategy calls for.

Plans and projects brought forward by officers are constantly rejected, often at the last minute  without alternatives or options being provided and without the benefit of independent advice.

Failure to deliver investment in Teignmouth and Newton Abbot over the last 5 years has been a result of council poor leadership and a failure to address the basic needs of residents for jobs and local investment in town centres, both key elements of council strategy.

The options now available to Teignbridge to use the money given by the government to regenerate our town centre are limited to saving what we can for the market hall but the 4 years of delays and required completion dates make available choices very limited.

If we cannot improve our market hall we risk losing it as well as the cinema.

The loss of the grants given in 2019 to be spent by 2024 will mean that Teignbridge would have to finance any project through prudential borrowing which requires a minimum level of return that would allow any debts taken on to be repaid. The Alex plans will require a business plan to enable funding to be secured and currently, the project has not been able to show the required returns, we hope it will but there are significant risks which could lose this as well.

Newton Abbot needs jobs, it needs investment and it needs a proactive District Council who understand the importance of supporting a local growth economy with a plan that delivers these key services to our residents as specified in the councils strategic plan (Teignbridge 10) and not ignore them in decision making.