Historic seaside town with England's most valuable port set for £750k revamp – including improving watersport facilities
Roisin Chapman, Lifestyle Reporter
Published: Invalid Date,
THE stunning home of England's most valuable port is set to undergo a major waterfront revamp.
Brixham Harbour will see upgrades to public walkways as well as watersport facilities.
3
3
Brixham is located in the south-west of England and has an estimated population of around 16,781.
The town, which is an hour drive from both Exeter and Plymouth, dates back to the Saxon period, when it first established itself as a fishing hub.
By the mid-nineteenth century, the town boasted the largest shipping fleet in the country at 250.
As the industry continued to expand, boatyards and fish markets set up around town and maritime-related work became the norm for the area.
The port has played a pivotal role in shaping the country's history, from the landing place of William of Orange to the home for the Royal Navy during World War II.
It is also the site of countless shipwrecks over the years, with local legend claiming wives of fishermen would take belongings to the beach to burn them as a way of guiding their men home.
Nowadays, the harbour is a bustling hub, setting a new record in 2022 by landing £60.8 million for the year.
The harbourside area is now set for a £750,000 improvement development.
This includes the installation of new solar smart compacting bins that will prevent overflow and the mounting of LED festoon lighting around the harbour for increased safety.
Dilapidated seating and benches will also be replaced along the seafront and seasonal feature planting, such as hanging baskets, will be added to brighten up the area.
The 100-year-old theme park by the beach with one of the world's oldest rollercoasters
Improving access and public safety around the harbour and fishing port is also an aim of this initiative.
Water sports in the area will also benefits as the project will provide safe launching, landing, and mooring facilities for paddleboard and kayak users.
Directional signage will also be improved to enhance visitors' experiences.
And finally, the harbour railings, pillars, lamp posts and the Quay Market structure will all be touched up and repainted.
Chris Lewis, deputy leader and cabinet member for place development and economic growth at Torbay Council, spoke to the BBC about the planned improvements.
'Downtrodden' English ghost town where locals feel 'left behind' being turned into 'vibrant' shopping hub in £9m revamp
By Nicole Cherruault
A "DOWNTRODDEN" English ghost town is being turned into a "vibrant" shopping hub in a £9million revamp.
The town in northern Manchester set to totally transform as the council launches a multi-million pound"vision for change" after locals complained the town felt "left behind".
More than 600 people were consulted over renovation plans in Eccles, Salford and work has now started on demolishing the town's shopping centre, which was suffering from falling visitors numbers.
Following the demolition stage, a development partner will be appointed to bring new life to what residents described as a "downtrodden" town, reports Manchester Evening News.
The objective, the council said, is to create a "vibrant" and a "fit for purpose" centre for people to enjoy.
Attracting more independent retailers, and new bars and cafes are among the council's top priorities.
And just three miles from Salford Quays and Manchester city centre, the redevelopment project looks set to transform the area into a buzzing place for young professionals and business owners.
This comes as locals despaired over the ailing town, saying they felt it had been "left behind" and it was in desperate need of some "drastic" improvements.
The council stressed that the demolition work will be a long process, with the initial phase due only to be completed by the end of the year.
However, Councillor Mike McCusker reassured locals that despite the renovations, the town centre "remains open for business", stressing that the works only affect a few areas.
He said: 'Whilst we work on the town centre of the future, today's town centre remains open for business,' said Coun Mike McCusker, lead member for planning, transport and sustainable development at Salford council.
'I want to stress that this demolition work only affects certain parts of the town centre.
'The shops and businesses on Church Street are still open for business and unaffected by this work.'
Meanwhile, Councillor McCusker, who represents the Eccles ward, shared his enthusiasm for the project, in particular for its focus on the local community.
In a statement, he spoke of his "excitement" for the times ahead in materialising their vision for a brighter, more dynamic Eccles.
He said 'Through our purchase of the shopping centre, we were able to put the future of the town centre in the hands of the council and the community.
'It has enabled us to begin this important and long-overdue programme of work, to deliver the vision we have developed with the community.
'The demolition work will take some time, but there are exciting times ahead for Eccles as we work to bring this vision to life.'
"Brixham is already a vibrant and welcoming place, and we hope the £750,000 of public realm improvements will further enhance the area for residents and visitors," he said.
As well as strolling the scenic harbour, visitors to the town can also visit the small shingle beach or take a dip in the Shaolstone Seawater Pool, open from May til September.
History buffs can visit one of the towns many musuems, including the Golden Hind Ship Museum, which is located in the harbour itself.
Or your can enjoy the picturesque scenery including the local architecture, such as the nineteenth century cottages built overlooking the water.
There are a variety of local eateries to choose from, with seafood being an expected theme in most.
And you can pick from a variety of local hotels and B&Bs, beginning from £95 per night.
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Woodbridge not suitable for active travel plan, say residents
A £5m project aiming to encourage sustainable transport methods is not suitable for a market town, residents have claimed. Suffolk County Council was awarded funding from the government's Active Travel England scheme in 2022 to look at ways of making walking and cycling journeys easier in Woodbridge. Changes proposed include widening of some pavements and creating a one-way system for traffic toward Market HillA recent public consultation saw 433 responses as the council now looks to review the plans over the next year but some residents said the consultations were handled "poorly". Chris Mapey runs the Angel pub, just off Market Hill and said while on the face of it the project was a "cracking idea", he was believed it was for the wrong town."The problem we've got with any small market town is it's a fine balancing act - we want to try and preserve the town as much as we can but we also want to have decent levels of footfall," he said."If you make Woodbridge too closed off, we're right on the doorstep of Martlesham [Retail Park]... so you end up losing, conceivably, a lot of footfall."It's been very frustrating for business owners to know where to turn." Woodbridge resident Neil Armstrong Boast similarly felt the council's consultation was "poor"."They hid road closures by the use of buzzwords and people lost faith when at the public meeting held in the community hall, the councillors wouldn't state what their preference was," he residents have spoken in favour of road and pavement improvements but some feared the project would negatively affect those who rely on cars and buses. "Wider pavements are a lovely idea but at what cost to free and efficient movement around the town for the less mobile," fellow resident Alison Parish said."I envisage that this will create more traffic hold-ups, longer journeys - time wise and distance - and people will avoid going into the town to shop and socialise." Ruth Leach, Lib Dem county councillor for Woodbridge, said she initially believed the project would be difficult to implement but felt progress had been made."The project has changed shape from what was initially proposed but I am very confident that we are getting closer to something that is going to perfect for Woodbridge," she said."With a budget of £5m I am very keen to work tirelessly on it to make sure it is something that stays in Woodbridge and we can benefit from it."She stressed the project did not seek to remove cars from Woodbridge. A spokesperson for the county council said the project aimed to give people better choice in how they travel for local, shorter journeys and the level of response for the consultation process had been "higher than expected".They said people had been provided options to fill either an online or paper survey and there had been drop-in events during both weekdays and weekends to "maximise people's ability to attend", while local businesses and key stakeholders had been engaged with to "ensure that all voices" were heard. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
England stars are physically and mentally cream-crackered – surely life is too short for these Andorra and Senegal games
England will have to face Andorra again at the start of next season SLEEPING LIONS England stars are physically and mentally cream-crackered – surely life is too short for these Andorra and Senegal games Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHY do we need to put ourselves through this again? Why do England have to play Andorra at football, when the basic point of sitting down to watch any football match is to think: 'I wonder who's going to win this one'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Thomas Tuchel's England squad play Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday Credit: Getty We already know that England will win. We know that Andorra are extremely unlikely to score. And it would be a significant surprise if Jordan Pickford has to make a single meaningful save. Surely your life is too short to tune in at 5pm on Saturday and watch this thing happen. This isn't English arrogance. It's not jingoistic or tub-thumping to point out that Andorra has a population of 80,000 - making it slightly bigger than the town of Bracknell but smaller than Weston-Super-Mare. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL 'MISSED BY ALL' Heartbreak for England legend as wife dies after months battling illness And therefore, England, with its 57 million people, will always beat it in a football match. Andorra is a lovely place in the Pyrenees, it's good for skiing and the Andorrans are rightly proud of their tiny nation state. Not that they currently have a football stadium suitable to hold this World Cup qualifier, which is instead being staged at Espanyol's home ground in Barcelona. But with players burnt-out, the calendar congested with fixtures and with a month-long Club World Cup about to start, does anyone need this thing - Andorra versus England - to be part of our lives? 4 England breezed past Andorra 4-0 in 2021 Credit: Getty CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Over the past 19 years, England have played Andorra six times and beaten them 5-0, 3-0, 2-0, 6-0, 4-0 and 5-0. The 3-0 in Barcelona was vaguely memorable because Steve McClaren, probably the silliest man ever to manage England, had a hissy fit and stormed out of the post-match press conference. England star Ivan Toney hits back at Bruno Fernandes with blunt reply after Man Utd star's Saudi transfer snub But, despite being at the majority of those matches, I can't remember a single thing about any of the rest of them. So 4-0 to England will be roughly par, even though pretty much everyone will then say that 4-0 is not enough. There can be a certain sadistic pleasure in witnessing an absolute hiding - a nine or a ten - but that's almost certainly not going to happen either. It is not that difficult for 11 fit young blokes of lower-tier EFL standard - which is Andorra's level - to sit behind the ball in a packed defence, block shots for 90 minutes and keep the score down, especially if they are showing zero ambition of actually scoring. In almost 30 years as a recognised international football team, Andorra have never lost by more than 7-0. They aren't that bad. In the past five years, they have beaten fellow minnows San Marino, Liechtenstein, St Kitts & Nevis and Grenada. Before that, Andorra defeated Moldova, Macedonia, Albania and Belarus - as well as their one genuine stand-out result, a 1-0 win over Hungary in 2017. The Nations League has been excellent for smaller nations, giving them regular competitive football against countries of a similar size and teams of similar ability. Andorra and other postage-stamp nations should not be entirely barred from World Cup qualifying - a pre-qualifying tournament, or Nations League results, could determine that one of them reaches the actual qualifying rounds. But surely something has to give in the fixture schedule. And if you're looking for a place to start when cutting fixtures, then how about fixtures that nobody wants to watch and nobody wants to play in? England's footballers are tired. Very wealthy, yes, but also physically and mentally cream-crackered. They don't need to spend ten days of their lives preparing to play Andorra and then Senegal - who are, admittedly, half-decent - in a match at Nottingham next Tuesday which will mean absolutely nothing. I sincerely hope that you have something better to do at 5pm on Saturday than watching this match. And also that you have something better to do on September 6, when, just three months from now, England will play Andorra yet again. At some point, we will all reach our deathbeds. And, please believe me, none of us will ever find ourselves staring into that ultimate abyss, wishing that we had spent more of our time watching England play Andorra at football. 4 England's players are knackered after a long season Credit: Getty
Daily Record
11 hours ago
- Daily Record
Naked cruise setting sail from seaside beauty spot and bookings are open now
The three-hour-long nude cruise will set sail on Friday, June 13 A three-hour nudist cruise is set to embark from Plymouth next week. The unique voyage is scheduled to depart on Friday, June 13 for a tour around Plymouth Sound and up the River Lynher towards St Germans. The bare-skinned adventure will commence at The Barbican Landing Stage, where guests will embark upon the grand vessel. With the stunning views of Plymouth Sound as an initial vista, followed by the quintessentially English countryside along the River Lynher, the cruise promises an unforgettable experience. Participants will have the bonus of viewing the moored Royal Navy ships along the River Tamar during their journey. Adding to the enjoyment will be live electronic music and a fully licensed bar on the ship, where cruisers can buy drinks with cash or card. Keith Bowman, British Naturism's South West region events coordinator and the planner behind the Naked Cruise, spoke to Plymouth Live regarding the inception of the event: "The idea for a boat trip came from the successful 'Naked Cruises' held in the USA so I thought to myself, if they can do it then so can we.", reports Plymouth Live. When asked about the ease of organising such an unusual outing, Keith revealed: "I contacted the first boat hire business I could find in Plymouth and explained my idea. To my surprise, they jumped at the chance to provide a cruise around Plymouth Sound and along the local rivers. It's surprising how people become more interested when I mention the word 'Naked'." As of now, approximate times to board and depart have been shared, with exact times expected to be advised at a date closer to the nude voyage. Boarding for Plymouth's unique Naked Cruise is set to commence around 4:30pm, with the vessel slated to cast off at about 4:45 pm. Following a tranquil three-hour journey along the river, the boat is scheduled to return at 7:45pm. Keith, who has been at the helm of organising the event, remarked: "Organising the event has been a dream and the boat company couldn't have been more helpful. Tickets are selling steadily and as normal with Naturist events, we expect there to be a last minute rush for tickets. Why not come and join us." Tickets for this extraordinary Naked Cruise experience in Plymouth are available to British Naturism members for £25 each, while non-members can secure their spot for £30. To entice those contemplating the experience, Keith offers an enticing scenario: "Can you imagine it? It's a bright, sunny, warm evening. You have a glass of wine or cuppa in your hand. Snacks are available if you feel peckish. You're sitting back just watching the world go by as you cruise the waters NAKED! Does that sound good, or what?".
