Popular Torquay leisure facility will shut next week

A popular Torquay tourist attraction that has been around for decades is due to close next week despite a massive backlash against Torbay Council. The fate of the pitch-and-putt golf course on Torquay seafront was thrust into doubt after the council cited damage was being caused to a historic tithe barn roof from wayward golf shots.

The nine-hole course is situated on council land in front of Torre Abbey and is home to the Spanish Barn which was built in about 1200 to store taxes paid to the abbey in the form of grain, hay and other farm produce. It is known as the Spanish Barn because it was used to hold captured Spanish sailors from the Armada in 1588.

Plans to shut down the golf course were put in motion in March and despite a campaign to save it, including an online petition signed by more than 1,000 people, the council is still going ahead with its closure. It has confirmed the land will be taken back into Torre Abbey’s management on November 1, as scheduled and has assured a public consultation will be held on the future of the site.

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A Torbay Council spokesperson said: "A consultation will follow the handover of the land to Torre Abbey’s management. We do not have a date for the consultation but will advise the public and local stakeholders once the consultation is scheduled."

The pitch and putt course behind the Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, Torquay, in 2010 -Credit:Google
The pitch and putt course behind the Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, Torquay, in 2010 -Credit:Google

When asked why there no public consultation before a decision was made to close the golf course, the spokesperson said: "This decision follows careful consideration by the council, looking at how the Pitch and Putt land can be repurposed and returned to community use; how the entire site can be better managed to protect its scheduled monument status; how restoration projects can move forward in line with legal obligations and funding requirements; and how income generation opportunities can be maximised to support a financially sustainable future for Torre Abbey.

"The priority for the site is to conserve and enhance Torre Abbey, a scheduled monument with significant heritage value at the national scale. Local hoteliers, stakeholders and the public will be consulted to inform future plans.

"We recognise that Torre Abbey and the surrounding land are significant tourist attractions for the Bay. Future plans will clearly prioritise increasing visitor numbers through enhanced, accessible, public space in keeping with the heritage status of Torre Abbey."

Torre Abbey
Torre Abbey -Credit:Guy Henderson

Disappointed pitch and putt tenant Heath Parkin, who has run the facility for 14 years, has now been left contemplating his future working life and has described it as a 'sad ending'. He claims that wayward golf balls have not been an issue on the site for some time after changes were made to the golf course, and believes it has been used as a 'red herring' to enable the council to make more money from the land.

He said: "The reason the council gave in the media for the damage to the Spanish Barn is a complete red herring. There is no damage to the Spanish Barn anymore and there hasn't been for a long time since we restructured the course.

"No balls are hit in the direction of that building. We got rid of a green right next to the building and we made sure the direction of all play was directed well away from so it annoys me that reason has been given out to the media.

"It's just simply because they want the land. They have been trying to get it for ages and certain people within the council want to make money out of it. It's a shame because it will probably stay a pretty dead space for quite a long time."

Heath Parkin pictured at the pitch and putt course in 2018
Heath Parkin pictured at the pitch and putt course in 2018 -Credit:DevonLive

Heath says he is not only worried about the future of Torre Abbey Park but also those who have enjoyed visiting the pitch and putt course over the years.

He said: "It's a crying shame to get rid of a beautiful leisure facility like that which is traditional and has been there for over 80 years. It services every demographic rom two to three years of age to people in their 90s.

"It provides healthy outdoor activities and is very much a facility a town like Torquay needs desperately. Some people have told me they wouldn't even come to Torquay if it wasn't there.

"I wonder where the council thinks the future of that park is and where the future of the town's facilities is heading?"

Local ward councillors have also raised their concerns about the its closure and the future of the site.

Mandy Darling, Liberal Democrat councillor for Tormohun, said: "I think the big issue with the Pitch and Putt is that there has been no consultation with the local community and the perception is that decisions are being made behind closed doors. Whilst the Bay welcomes investment and regeneration, it is essential to take the local community on the journey with you when making such vital decisions."

Cordelia Law, ward councillor for Tormohun and deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Torbay Council, added: "As ward councillors for Tormohun, we believe that the loss of a much-valued pitch and putt attraction on Torquay seafront is a great shame. In 2018, there was a great outcry when this was proposed by the previous Conservative administration, so it was known that there was little public support for such a proposal.

"However, the administration has chosen to ignore previous objections and go ahead and force the pitch and putt to close without consulting with the public. They have chosen to do to the community and not with them.

"It has been widely said that the decision came from the Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Review. However, O&S is not a decision-making body, and what it actually asked for was an options appraisal on solutions to stop damage to the Spanish Barn roof by golf balls.

"Normally, a variety of options/ solutions would have been put before councillors, and the pros and cons of the various options would have been discussed before a way forward would be agreed. This has not happened in this case."

In late 2023 / early 2024, the Overview and Scrutiny Board carried out a review of events, culture and tourism. The findings were presented to Cabinet on March 19, 2024.

One of the recommendations asked the council to consider whether the Torre Abbey Pitch and Putt contract remains the 'most appropriate use of the space' to meet the council’s cultural and heritage objectives, 'especially in light of the ongoing damage and annual repair costs' to the roof of the Spanish Barn.

It also asked how the risk of damage to the Spanish Barn can be reduced in future and to explore alternative uses for the area to maximise the archaeological history of the site.

In its report, O&S said the decision had been made to terminate the current tenancy, with the land being taken back into Torre Abbey’s management from November 1, 2024.

Andy Callen, who has enjoyed using the facility on a number of occasions, said: "Our concern is primarily the lack of public consultation until after work on closing the facility has been completed, together with the misinformation being spun, as fact, regarding the 'damage' to the roof of the Spanish Barn."

The whole 18-acre site of Torre Abbey is a Scheduled Monument, the highest designation available and the same as that held by Stonehenge. The best-preserved monastic ruins in Devon and Cornwall are there, much of them below the surface.

In summer 2023, work started on the third phase of Torre Abbey’s restoration programme. The next phase will look at returning the land from the Abbey to the seafront, back to community use.