Dawlish News

A new casino and an arts cafe could form part of the multi-million pound regeneration plans for the 'dying' town of Dawlish.

The blueprint, which will be unveiled next week, includes 36 proposals to regenerate Dawlish and the Warren over the next five to 10 years.

Proposals include a casino, a new enclosed pavilion with an arts cafe, a high-class restaurant overlooking the railway at Tuck Plot and a complete revamp of the town centre and outlying areas.

Also key to the plan is the sale of the town council headquarters, Manor House, a 200-year-old Grade II listed building in the Manor Gardens.

If sold, the building could be turned into flats, a hotel or even a retirement home.

Former mayor Cllr Rosalind Prowse said the regeneration project was vital to the future of Dawlish.

She said: "Dawlish is dying and it needs a huge injection of capital and spirit and a willingness to change with society. Otherwise it will fade into a negative seaside town and just become dormant compared to Exeter, Newton Abbot and Plymouth. Dawlish is better than that."

Cllr Prowse said it was up to residents to decide which proposals they wished to see come into fruition, but she admitted the casino proposal was not one she personally supported.

She said: "Some proposals I feel are practical and others I feel are not. The idea is the consultants make people think about what they want. I am personally not a casino person."

She added: "The Manor House is a beautiful building in a beautiful setting but it is not built for the purpose. The problem is it costs £40,000 to £50,000 to just look at it. It was never built to hold meetings or for wheelchair access."

Consultants Lacey Hickie Caley have been working with Teignbridge Council and Dawlish Town Council on the plans which begun a few years ago.

So far work has been completed on a path alongside the Stream in Brunswick Place costing £45,000 and work has just started on a new waterfowl enclosure.

Cllr Geoff Wills, Dawlish mayor, said: "The consultants have been looking at the town centre and also how Dawlish works with its outlying villages.

"Some of the ideas which may raise local interest include a casino, a new Pavilion on the Lawn, the partial pedestrianisation of both Piermont and Station Roads, and the shared surfacing of the Strand."

Neil Emery, group director of LHC, added: "Projects seek to address some of the key issues for people in the area."

Plans will go on show at a consultation event on Wednesday, November 11, at the Shaftesbury Theatre in Brunswick Place, Dawlish, between 2pm and 6pm.

A public presentation by the consultants will take place between 6.30pm and 9pm.

There will also be a further opportunity to see the plans on Friday, December 4, at the Lawn.