Talks begin on future of Torbay’s ‘crown jewels’ as trust goes bust

Talks are due to begin this week between Torbay Council and liquidators over the future of the trust that manages some of the bay’s countryside ‘crown jewels’.

The Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust (TCCT) was placed in the hands of liquidators last week amid fears for its future.
The trust looks after Torbay landscapes including Berry Head, Cockington Country Park, Elberry Cove and more than 40 miles of coast paths and bridleways. Its Occombe Farm attraction, which includes an award-winning cafe, is expected to close imminently.
Around 70 staff will be affected by the decision taken by the trustees to put the TCCT into liquidation. They decided the financial pressures on the organisation had become too much to handle.
The news sparked fears that some of the 27 separate woodlands, parks and open spaces managed by the trust across the bay could be in peril
Torbay Council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) said talks with the liquidator would begin almost immediately.
“We’ll be able to understand how we can move forward from there,” he said.
The council owns the freehold to almost all of the land managed by the TCCT, but Cllr Thomas said it would not be a straightforward matter of it all being handed straight back.
“The liquidator will decide which direction they’re going to move,” he said. “Clearly one of the options, in my view the simplest option, is to talk to the council about having the land back, and hopefully that’s the way it will be.
“But the liquidator may decide to look for another organisation to lease the land off the council. There needs to be a conversation about how that works and how that stacks up for the residents of Torbay.
“There’s a lot to play out over the coming days.”
Cllr Thomas said he understood why people were concerned that some of the open spaces managed by the TCCT could become subject to housing applications, but added: “We have a housing commitment – of course we do – but most of the land is not even on any of our radars with the local plan.
“I saw a Facebook post that said the only reason Occombe was closing was because the council was going to build houses on that site. The reality is that there are two fields further down the road that already have planning permission for 51 units on either side of the road.
“That definitely is a case of two and two coming together and making 57.
“What is the long term plan for Occombe? I don’t have one, but it is an asset. It is a building that’s had about £1.8million in improvements and a group of people who use it regularly.
“There is an asset there that needs to be used and will be used. It is not just going to be demolished to build houses. Why would you?”