Go-ahead for Paignton YMCA homes project

'This will give young people a chance to grow and thrive'

A charity organisation working on behalf of care leavers in Torbay is ‘delighted’ after being given the go-ahead to use a former holiday business as housing for local young people.

YMCA Exeter has been given permission to use the Holly-Lets flatlets in Paignton’s Sands Road for nine young people.

The proposal was rejected in October by Torbay Council's planning committee, which decided the building still had a role to play in the bay’s tourist trade.

But now permission has been given after the YMCA made the case that the building had been used as nine dwellings since at least 1996, and because there are no plans to extend or alter it, there is no need for planning permission.

Instead the YMCA applied for a ‘certificate of lawfulness’ to use the building, which was granted by council officers this week.

Gareth Sorsby, YMCA Exeter's joint chief executive said they are delighted.

He continyed: “We can now move forward with 39 Sands Road in Paignton, turning it into a home for local young people, many of whom are care-experienced.

“There is an urgent need for move-on accommodation in Torbay so that local young people can have a home in their own area and receive the support they need, enabling them to begin contributing to the local economy and society.

“These homes, with wrap-around services, will give each of these young people a chance to grow and thrive.”

At the October meeting the charity had also asked for permission to use the Seacroft Guest House next door, and that was also turned down.

One councillor told the committee that tourism is the bay’s ‘lifeblood’, but a disappointed YMCA representative told her: “The lifeblood of Torbay is the people who live here.”

Councillors agreed that the project is worthwhile, but said Sands Road is the wrong place for it. The YMCA will now try again to make use of the Seacroft building.

Mr Sorsby said: “We hope that the same decision will soon be made on 41 Sands Road to ensure that more affordable homes can be created for young people.”