Local motorists are being advised to plan their journeys and parking as work is due to start on Monday 21 October to pave the way for a new hotel in Torquay.

Part of the Terrace Car Park will be closed for a period of six to eight weeks which means drivers will only be able to access the car park via Museum Road when the work begins on 21 October. It’s all to enable construction work which will be starting on the new 120 bed hotel, which will bring new jobs to the area and boost the local economy.

For structural safety reasons the ramps off Montpelier Road will be closed to vehicles during the demolition period, however there will still be pedestrian access from Montpelier Road. This means that only the top level of the car park will remain open during that period, so cars will only be able to access the car park via Museum Road. There will still be around 150 spaces available to the public during the 6-8 week period of the construction work.

We are working with Midas Construction to ensure pedestrian access, access for disabled people and for push chairs is maintained between the car park and Montpellier Road, to ensure easy access into the town centre.

The new £11m hotel was granted planning permission in August and is one of the latest projects to be taken forward from the Council’s £25m Town Centre Regeneration Fund. The work will be carried out by Midas Construction and is expected to generate more than 150 direct and indirect new jobs during the construction period (which is expected to last around 18 months overall) and over 30 permanent jobs once the hotel is built.

Councillor Swithin Long, Torbay Council Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, said: “We apologise to drivers for the short term disruption to local businesses and visitors but we are working with Midas to put in place a temporary solution that both minimises disruption and maintains public safety. Although we had hoped to keep the whole car park open, this has not been possible for safety reasons.

“This new hotel will be a fantastic addition for Torbay so we are really pleased to be able to move the project forward so quickly. The construction work will generate around 150 direct and indirect jobs. It will provide 246 training weeks for apprentices, traineeships and new entrant trainees in key professions and trades. In addition, around 80% of subcontractors will be procured within 30 miles of the site.  This will secure around £7.7M of benefit to the local economy.”

Andy McAdam, Divisional Director of Midas Construction for Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, said: “As a regionally-based business we are delighted and very proud to be working with Torbay Council and Whitbread on this project which will deliver a new high-quality hotel for Torquay as well as contributing to Torbay’s wider economic regeneration.

“The enabling works are a crucial part of preparations for the main construction project which is scheduled to be an 18-month build. We will be working closely with our project partners, local people and businesses, including through our commitment to the Considerate Constructors Scheme, to minimise any disruption during the works and maximise the economic benefit of the project to the local area.”