PJA were appointed as part of a design team, along with QSPM, Kay Elliott, BD Landscapes and Ginkgo Projects, to provide advice in relation to the access, movement and operation of the emerging scheme for improvement.

The Torbay Development Agency and Torbay Culture are working together through the Great Places Scheme, to deliver high quality public realm in Paignton, Torbay. The junction of Hyde Road, Torbay Road and Victoria Street, known as Station Square, has been identified as a key location for improvement following a concept study involving PJA, undertaken in 2017. The ambition is for Station Square to reflect a clear sense of local identity that meets the needs of multiple users – creating a social, cultural and economic destination.

The Council has now provided the funding (£1.2m) to progress the project in Paignton’s Station Square – specifically the junction around Hyde Road, Victoria Street and Torbay Road. Construction is due to take place between January and June 2019, avoiding the busy Christmas and summer seasons.

As part of the concept development an interactive workshop was held in May 2018 with a range of invited stakeholders including representatives from the local area, to discuss ideas for improvements for Station Square that meet the needs of all users.  The workshop also covered aspects of local heritage and the importance of connecting Station Square to destinations nearby such as the seafront and Palace Avenue.

The scheme has now been developed and subjected to microsimulation modelling in the form of Vissim.  This is able to assess the capacity implication of the changes including the effects of information pedestrian crossing, kerbside bus stopping and the nearby railway level crossing.

Subject to final council decision, the scheme is now ready for final production design and implementation in 2019.