Now is the chance to have your say on new plans to transform Newton Abbot town centre, as part of a major redevelopment plan set to boost the economy and increase the profile of the town.

The multi-million-pound Future High Streets Fund will inject a much-needed cash boost into the local economy and transform the town for residents and visitors.

Our plans feature a major redevelopment of Market Hall, Market Square and the old Alexandra cinema, to include a new eating quarter, a state of the art cinema, a remodelled entertainment and events venue and a high quality market space. They also include pedestrian improvements and the addition of greenery in the Queen Street area, cycling improvements for better links to shopping facilities and increased parking at Cricketfield car park.

Government funding will be match funded by other partners, including Devon County Council, which is contributing towards road infrastructure improvements to create better routes for walking and cycling into the town.

Residents, traders and other local stakeholders are invited to have their say on the proposals before the end of June.

Market changes at Newton Abbot 

Outdoor markets can now reopen and non-essential retail can operate from 15 June, so we are making gradual changes at Newton Abbot market to make sure it operates safely while being able to meet customer demands.

Following discussion with the traders, the Food Hall, which was operating safely from 8am to 1pm Monday to Saturday, is experimenting on Wednesday and Saturday with an hour’s extension until 2pm.

Discussions have taken place with traders about reopening the outdoor market from 3 June and the indoor Market Hall from Monday 15 June.  Enforcing social distancing rules will be essential for the safety of traders and customers  Please keep an eye on our website and social media for further updates.

If visiting our beaches and open spaces please do the right thing and respect our local environment.

Our staff, and some local residents, collected the equivalent of 500 wheelie bins of discarded litter from beaches and open spaces after the weekend, including glass bottles, cans, disposable barbecue trays which are an extreme fire risk in this dry weather.

Dog walkers should respect the dogs on beach bans that are currently  in place. Dog wardens will be issuing fines for anyone found breaching the bylaws that prevent dogs on beaches throughout the summer season.

Anyone can report incidences of littering by completing the reporting form.  Dogs on beaches and dog fouling can be reported by email or using the reporting form.  Antisocial behaviour can be reported directly to the police.

The summer weather and the lockdown relaxation is attracting residents and visitors to our beautiful coastline.

There are currently no RNLI lifeguards patrolling our beaches so it is even more important than ever to take care when in or close to water.

Around 700 people drown in the UK and Ireland every year so the Royal Life Saving Society are running a Drowning Prevention Week from Monday, offering summer safety tips on how to stay safe.

The government recently suggested that councils should update their ‘Statement of Community Involvement” to expressly set out the different ways in which people are included in consultations, given that face to face meetings during the pandemic are not possible.

We’ve updated our Statement of Community Involvement and although this will not affect the content of the consultation, we have extended the consultation to give people the statutory six weeks to comment after this change was made on 1 June.

Instead of closing on 15 June, the consultation, which launched on 23 March, will now run for a total of 16 weeks, closing on 13 July.

Take a look at the Need to Know guide and complete the consultation feedback form to give us your views on policies and principles which will help shape Teignbridge's development over the coming decades.