Work to begin on Newton Abbot's new museum

The Town Council has also purchased the old pub next door

And now the derelict eyesore next to the building, the overgrown site of the former Turks’ Head pub, has been snapped up by Newton Abbot Town Council.

The land at 41 Wolborough Street was the Turks Head pub until it closed in 2000. Since then, it has been used as an Indian restaurant and a junk shop, before being demolished in 2010 and left derelict ever since.

The land will be used as a contractor’s compound while works at the new community hub take place, but will be earmarked for community regeneration once work has finished.

The town council has spent £90,000 on the land and no additional borrowing or planned increase in the authority’s share in the council tax precept is planned.

Chairman of the Newton’s Place Project Board, Cllr Mike Ryan, said: “Acquiring this piece of land has long been an aspiration and I’m delighted to say a deal has now been done. Many people mistakenly thought it came with the former St Leonard’s Church which we bought in 2016 as the home for our Newton’s Place museum and community space project.

“But now we have the land, at the right price, it will serve as a contractor’s compound for Newton’s Place while we consider how best it can serve the town in the long term.

“The wider regeneration plans for Newton Abbot are gathering pace and by working closely with Teignbridge Council, community groups and charities we can deliver something that will benefit residents a lot more than additional retail space.

“Together we can draw up a vision very much in line with repeated calls for a community hub.”

The site was acquired from Lord of the Borough, Keith Stokes-Smith. He said: “I’m so pleased to see the town council taking this step. As founder of the Newton Abbot Civic Society it’s not only the town’s heritage I hold dear to my heart but its future too. I wish everyone involved in this project great success as they take it forward.”

The Newton’s Place project involves moving the museum into the church and would also deliver town centre council offices and be the catalyst for the ‘Cultural Quarter’ development that will encompass the Passmore Edwards Centre and St Leonard’s Tower, and work is set to start within ‘weeks’, Pollard’s Contract Manager Kevin Jobe has said.

Pollard have been appointed as the construction firm, and Mr Jobe added: “We have an enviable reputation developed throughout our 158-year history and are proud to be working with Newton Abbot Town Council to help deliver a major and enduring boost to the town’s cultural scene. We can’t wait to begin.”

A large slice of the cost of the £2m project has been covered by £950,000 of National Lottery players’ cash offered by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The scheme would preserve an important heritage building for public use, give the town’s museum a high street location and a much higher profile, generate more space to tell the fascinating stories of Newton Abbot’s past, create new community rooms for local groups to use, provide more activities for schools and adult groups and move the town council offices so they are easier for people to access.