Major new development approved for old Crossways site in Paignton
Work is set to begin this winter, but most public comments on the plans are objections
Work on a major new development on the site of the old Crossways shopping centre in Paignton is set to begin this winter.
Torbay Council, along with its development partner Willmott Dixon Construction, has been given the green light by planning officers to go ahead.
The site has most recently been used as a short-term car park, after the derelict Crossways was demolished.
The new building will be up to six storeys high.
It will also include a day centre, communal facilities and a cafe.
Conditions attached to the permission
One of the conditions attached to the permission is that work must start on the site within three years.
Councillors have said they expect spades in the ground much sooner than that.
A long list of conditions is attached to the final permission.
History of the Crossways site
Crossways was one of the first purpose-built shopping centres in Devon when it opened in the 1960s, and it continued to thrive for decades.
Its success dwindled, however, and businesses moved out in the 1990s and 2000s.
Eventually only one cafe and two businesses remained in the centre when it was acquired by the council.
It was demolished in spring and summer 2023.
Objections to the plan
The new plan for the site has not been universally well received.
Of 20 comments posted on the council's website, 19 are objections and one is neutral.
One objector said: 'It will cause the town to go into a dive.
'The suggested six-storey building will create an eyesore in the town and, being so high, will take away natural daylight and cause a dark and cold area of the town which may attract anti-social behaviour.'