When we meet Richard Askew, the lead of Action for Paignton, he doesn’t hold back in voicing his frustrations. He’s clearly passionate about the town’s potential, but disheartened by what he sees as wasted opportunities.

He’s particularly critical of the way the council has handled £13.36 million from the Future High Streets Fund, which was awarded by the Government to upgrade local infrastructure, build new homes and enhance the town centre.

He claims they have still not spent the majority of the money received in 2020, and that what has been spent has been “wasted” on “poor quality consultations” and plans that never came to fruition.

Askew points to several initiatives which he believes have not been successful, such as what he calls the ‘golden mile’, Paignton’s main arcade street, where he claims “they spent half a million pounds [on] consultants and schemes, and they scrapped it”.

“Now we’re just waiting for Station Square, which is really a central space where you arrive at the railway, close to the bus station. And you will see we’re not happy with it,” he adds.

Askew believes the funding is “long overdue”, and Paignton has been “ticking along on the bottom since the 1980s, and we’ve not upped our game.”

After breaking away from a community partnership to form Action for Paignton, he feels ignored by the council. “Here, they really see us as a pain in the arse, and they just don’t want to speak to us. They’re just ignoring us, and we’re coming up with better schemes,” he says.

You can sense his enthusiasm for change, and he believes the town should focus on health and fitness rather than seasonal tourism.

Askew continued: “We’ve got fishing, rowing, sailing, diving, you’ve got sports centres, the bowling green. It’s about maximising the potential of everything we’ve got on the doorstep.

“What are you doing for the youth? And then they wonder why we’ve got so much antisocial behaviour. We’ve got to get young people focused.”

Askew tells us the group is “not about stopping stuff”, but it intends to “connect with the voice of the people”, and ensure the developments are done right the first time. “It’s so disappointing because it is so easy to get right,” he adds.

When his group talks to locals in the street, he recalls: “I think the feeling is, why do you bother? The council won’t listen to you.”

Torbay Council told the Express it has been working with the community since 2015 to develop the regeneration, and some external, uncontrollable factors contributed to some projects taking longer to deliver than expected.

We then head up the ‘golden mile’ to the tune of ringing arcades, up a street lined with ice cream shops, pubs and clothing stalls that spill onto the pavement.

We meet butcher Donald Vaughan, who has worked in Paignton for 37 years. He describes the high street as “grim” after witnessing the decline firsthand.

The shop manager tells us: “All they’re talking about is building car parks and building flats, but it’s nothing to bring people into town. It’s like a ghost town compared to what it was. It used to be really busy.”

He jokes that it’s “just charity shops”, which are perfect “if you want to buy a pair of underpants your Uncle Bob died in as someone’s Christmas present” before apologising for his wicked sense of humour.

There used to be seven butchers in town, but he said there had been a marked decline in the high street, with butchers, high street shops and big brands moving out, replaced with barbershops, of which he says four have sprung up in the last six months.

We chat to a local who works in maintenance, Darren Gouldthorpe, who feels similarly to David. He says: “I work online and do online shopping everywhere because we just haven’t really got the shops in Paignton anymore.

“It’s changed terribly since I moved here in the 90s. It’s just generally gone downhill. It’s got the alcoholics and druggies on the streets. We’re losing all tourist things, like gift shops.”

When we ask what he thinks about the developments, he says: “It’s hard to tell. They keep demolishing things and building car parks. .

“I don’t think it’s the council, I think it took them too long to realise they need to update the area.”

We then chat to local bed and breakfast owner Stephen Smart to see how business has changed over the years. “It’s a difficult question because of the way the market is at the moment,” he tells us.

He adds: “The town itself needs regeneration. If it’s not regenerated or whatever they’re doing, then it’s going to fall derelict and, dare I say it, [attract] not the type of people you want around.

“But the Government’s pushing all these HMOs or social housing, which to me could have an impact on our business because of our guests coming to the area.

“A lot of guests do say about the high streets where the shops are closing down, but then that’s the impact because everybody’s buying online, aren’t they?”

However, a young resident, Thomas King, who is taking his niece out for the day, was much more positive. “It’s actually alright. My fiancé and I live here, but obviously when you’ve got a little one, it’s brilliant.”

He praised the amount of free activities, such as the beach and the “great” park. “You get the occasional not so nice people but you’re going to get that everywhere,” he adds.

We stumble into a pair of young adults heading towards the high street, who were far more cutting. The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, described the town bluntly as “sh*t”.

He tells me the bars are not the greatest, many have closed, and most people head to Torquay for nightlife. He explains that young people leave in search of better job opportunities, before his friend jokes “for anything decent anyway”.

He adds: “The shops are closing. It’s boring. They took away the main skate park not too long ago. That’s where everybody used to hang out, but now there’s not too much to do. It’s a nice place to visit, but not so much to live in.”

Another young couple who live in the area, Ashley and Meadow Fisher-Crisp, were a bit more optimistic. They believe it is nice enough, but they were also unimpressed with the parking.

“I don’t mind it. I think it’s peaceful, most of the time. There are some places that aren’t great, but generally, it’s not too bad,” Meadow tells us.

“The council keeps changing things,” Ashley explains. “It feels like they’re wasting a lot of time and effort on things that haven’t made a difference. They can’t seem to decide on what to invest in.”

“I’m a little bit confused as to why they’ve removed that much parking,” Meadow says before her partner adds: “There could be better designs. I imagine it always comes down to money. They go for the cheapest thing.

“You could have a two-layered thing that would work fine, because parking is an issue, I think everyone knows that. Especially in the summer.”

There is a clear sense of dissatisfaction with the town, whether it is due to the council’s developments, the high street, or a lack of opportunities.

While some younger residents still enjoy the area, most seem to agree that significant change is needed before Paignton can regain its former appeal.

A spokesperson for Torbay Council told the Express: “In 2020, Torbay Council secured £13.36 million of Future High Streets Funding to begin the transformation of Paignton. The funding would allow the council to deliver infrastructure improvements, new homes in the town centre, and an improved cultural offer.

“Officers from the council have been working with and listening to the community since 2015 to develop the regeneration plans. Regeneration and change of this scale are not without [their] challenges, with external, uncontrollable factors having played a role in some projects taking longer to deliver than initially expected.

“To address these challenges, in the autumn of 2023 Torbay Council appointed Willmott Dixon and Milligan as their regeneration partners. Over the past 18 months, the public and private sector partnership has made significant strides forward in reviewing, developing and evaluating the viability of bay-wide transformational schemes that will revolutionise how our town centres work in the future.

“Like the community, we are keen to see Paignton town centre reinvigorated, we are fully committed to delivering this transformation. Several exciting projects are already underway across the town, using the Future High Streets Funding.

“Paignton Picture House, the restoration of Europe’s oldest cinema, is progressing well and is looking towards reopening in 2026. Paignton and Preston Sea Defence, work is due to begin this autumn, work will be carried out in three separate phases, concluding in spring 2027.

“Crossways, a planning application for [around] 90 extra care homes and a new purpose-built day centre will be submitted this summer. We are working towards a start date on site of mid-2026. At the Victoria Centre, part of the site has been unlocked for redevelopment. Longer-term plans look to provide around 200 new homes on the site.

“Station Square Public Realm, a design has been agreed and a contractor appointed. A start date is yet to be confirmed. Additionally, we have started to restore Oldway Mansion, a Grade II listed building on the outskirts of the town centre, using £8million of government funding, plus an additional £1million allocated by the council.

“The successful delivery of these projects will ensure that Paignton thrives in the future – with town centre homes for a diverse range of people, welcoming spaces to relax and enjoy, offering vibrant cultural experiences, and transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all road users and transport providers.

“We continue to work closely with public, private sector and community stakeholders to gather their feedback and input into our evolving transformational plans. Their input is invaluable, reflecting strong community interest and support for the regeneration of Paignton.”