Torbay council took the opportunity to buy the main Debenhams building and a smaller property in The Strand in spring 2020 to prevent the key site from falling out of use if the store closed. Debenhams closed in May 2021.

Torbay Council wanted to regenerate the site with a mixed development of flats and commercial use including restaurants at street level, but because of existing properties one empty shop (No 9) and a closed bank branch (No8 a listed building) and three flats accessed from the Terrace behind they did not own; the 16 flats first proposed in April 2022 on the site of the main Debenhams building did not prove viable.

A Torquay The Strand existing area under redevelopment by Robert, on Flickr
The whole area was looked at again and included the two empty properties and No7 which they owned and the tenant has since relocated to Fleet Walk around the corner. Taco Bell have since occupied No 9.

The new plan was for  a 144 bedroom 4* hotel with rooftop bar. The bigger higher priced rooms to the front and three/four retail units. The bulk of the hotel will be on the main Debenhams site. A central staircase (stepped street) will lead from The Strand to The Terrace.
Screenshot 2026-09-26 120621 by Robert, on Flickr

The hotel stretches across the whole of the site on three floors leaving only the listed building's frontage which will be restored. The new build will be raised up over the projected flood risk levels.
Screenshot 2025-07-04 200216 by Robert, on Flickr

 
The plans were approved last Wednesday 23 September 2026 at a planning committee meeting just for this project.
There were a number of written objections mainly from residents in the flats in The Terrace which have mostly been converted back to residential from offices. They are very expensive. In the image above you can see them and the two new hotels recently built; Premier Inn on council land by the car park and the Hampton Hilton which the council kick started. The police recently closed a brothel next to the Hampton in The Terrace; they should not have advertised.
There were five speakers against and three for. It's all on youtube. The vote was in two parts. The first for the site as a whole which passed six for and two abstentions, none against.
The second for the listed bank building which has been empty for 8 years with no prospective user to be incorporated into the hotel was passed unanimously.

The council thinking was that this was in a core tourism area and not suitable for residential. A recent report on hotels stated in Devon and Cornwall accommodation is split 50/50 between low end/high end rooms but in Torbay it was split 25/75. Torbay often cite this as the reason they can no longer attract conferences and the like. They recognise many of the lower grade hotels will go to the wall, but they will be brownfield sites for new build or conversion to residential to tackle the housing shortage in Torbay. Many hotels have already gone down this route. The latest being The Seascape which of late been used by other councils to house there homeless. It's the fate of many seaside towns with an over supply of substandard hotels and B&Bs.

There are three new hotels in Torquay and two in Paignton. Others have been upgrading their buildings.