Significant progress is being made on the new £11M 120 bedroom Premier Inn hotel being built on part of Terrace Car Park in Torquay.

Demolition works to part of the existing car park and the installation of the piled retaining wall is complete, allowing bulk excavation works. The strengthening works to the remaining concrete beams in the car park is also complete, protecting the structural integrity of the multi-storey car park.

This Torbay Council commissioned project is ahead of programme and the focus now shifts to preparing the site for construction of the new building. It is expected that the development will be completed in early 2022.

Councillor Swithin Long, Torbay Council Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, said: “After some early challenges, the project is now moving forward at pace and thanks to the hard work of partners is slightly ahead of schedule. This new hotel complements existing hotel accommodation in Torquay and will bring long term benefits to the town centre, to businesses, to the community and to the Council.

“This is more great news for Torquay, as we start the economic recovery process from COVID-19. The hotel will generate new employment of around 30 permanent jobs and over 150 jobs during construction. It will attract thousands of guests each year and bring in an additional £3.3M of tourism spend. Torbay Council worked hard to ensure that the construction contract with Midas includes requirements to employ local people and contractors, provide training for apprentices and support entrant trainees in key professions.”

Andy McAdam, Executive Director, Midas Construction Ltd, said. “I’m always delighted to see our projects start to emerge from the ground and progress on site is going well. This new prominent building for Torquay is a real sign of the investment we are currently seeing in Torbay and I for one can’t wait to see it complete.

“In terms of investment by Midas, we’ve been able to predominantly use local suppliers to deliver the new hotel, giving opportunities to other businesses in particular who share our passion for supporting trainees and apprenticeships. We’re really pleased that, as a result of this project, Midas has been able to employ a trainee Quantity Surveyor, who lives in Devon and is a product of the SW Shared Apprenticeship Scheme. We’re also using the skills of a trainee carpenter and an Assistant Site Manager, both of who are the products of South Devon College and live locally.”

Hester King, Programme and Project Manager at Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, said: “Our desire for a second Premier Inn hotel in Torquay reflects strong demand for Premier Inn bedrooms in the town year-round. We are making good progress building the hotel and are confident it will prove very popular with Premier Inn customers when the doors open in 2022.”

Due to the ongoing development of the hotel, the Terrace Car Park currently has a maximum occupancy of around 25% of its usual 533 space capacity. The lower deck is no longer accessible to the public, so access to the car park is via Museum Road, with diversion signs in place directing customers to the current entry point.

Alternative off street parking is also available at nearby Meadfoot Road, and Beacon Quay and Fleet Walk car parks, with a number of surrounding streets also offering chargeable parking spaces. More information on the location of these parking places and the charges that apply there, can be found online here.

RingGo, the UK’s leading phone parking provider, has taken over provision of cashless parking in car parks and for on-street parking spaces operated by Torbay Council. We recommend motorists use RingGo as the quickest and safest wat to pay.

Demolition of part of the Terrace Car Park has been completed

An artists impression of the new Premier Inn in Torquay - Credit: Axiom Architects