Chris Bray, County Councillor for Teignmouth, has welcomed the speedy way in which Teignbridge have responded to the public consultation on the Carlton / Brunswick Street sites. He said, “I am grateful to Teignbridge District Council, not only for undertaking the recent consultation with local people, but also having three Teignmouth residents on the project panel.  I am confident that with the aspirations of Teignbridge and the views of the various parties in Teignmouth being heard, we are going to end up with attractive and useful buildings on both sites, that will substantially enhance the look of the town, provide modern facilities and yet further add to the regeneration of Teignmouth.”

Councillor Chris Bray has written to the managing director of First Great Western demanding a better service for the people of Teignmouth.  Chris said “I wrote to complain about the appalling rail service that is presently being providing for the residents of Devon and in particular the people I represent, Teignmouth.”  Chris’s family use the railways on a regular basis, one going to Exeter daily and the other to Plymouth weekly.  He said, “They tell me there is a chaotic service, with cancellations and delays as a very regular feature.  To get a train to Sowton in Exeter arriving by 9am, Teignmouth residents already have to get up by 7am. Any cancellations or delays are more than frustrating.”  Chris, who is Devon County Councillor for Teignmouth, has heard some of the rolling stock being used described as, “like a cattle truck.” He argues,  “Devon have an ambitious plan to be the greenest county in England, which involves getting people out of their cars and onto public transport, where convenient. This cannot happen where the quality of service is poor and it is not convenient to use because of time involved, or cost.”  Cllr Bray is asking to be told what positive plans the train companies have for the future, to both improve reliability and rolling stock. In addition to writing to the train companies, Chris has written to the Director of Environment, Economy and Culture at Devon County Council to find out what the County Council is doing to put pressure on the companies to improve matters. He is pleased with the response, with the leaders of Devon County Council due to meet First Great Western’s Managing Director before the end of February, so that the County Council will have the opportunity of expressing its concerns directly to him then. 

Plans for a new Fish Quay have had a welcome boost from the South West Regional Development Agency. The agency has agreed to part fund, up to £10,000, a feasibility study into the potential for such a project. Matched funding, from other sources, will also be required to complete the report.   The feasibility study will consider the replacement of the existing Fish Quay with modern improved facilities for fishermen, with a dedicated access to the quay. It will also consider better access to the river for the general public and seek to maximise the viability of the local fishing community.  Initial outline plans envisage providing replacement fisherman’s stores as well as the provision of a small ice making plant.   The proposals are being lead by the Teign Fishermen and Watermen’s Association, Teignbridge District Council, and Teignmouth’s two Devon County Councillors, David Cox and Chris Bray. Likely to cost in excess of £1million, the project is being assisted by Stephen Bailey, Fisheries Funding Officer, whose expertise is in accessing EU fisheries grants. Stephen is hopeful EU money will be available, though match funding from the UK will have to be found. David Cox said, “This project is first and foremost to meet the needs of the Teign’s Fishermen; however there are real economic and leisure spin offs for Teignmouth and Shaldon. I ‘m really pleased we are making progress”  Chris Bray added, “I am very grateful to Barry Wilson and the Teign Fishermen and Watermen for bringing this proposal forward.  All the interested bodies are keen for it to happen and if it does, it will be yet another aspect of the continuing regeneration of Teignmouth that has happened in recent years and is still scheduled to continue.”

New Road, Teignmouth, is to be resurfaced this year reports Councillor Chris Bray. Cllr Bray said that following many complaints to him on the poor state of New Road, he had contacted the local Highways Department on a number of occasions. He was delighted that when he had raised it again last week he was told that the complete length of road would be resurfaced.   Cllr Bray commented, “There have been some very bad pot holes in the road for some time now and a patching operation near Ashleigh Way was done a few months ago.  I am really pleased that the County Council now see the real need to improve the surface of this well used road.” Cllr Bray concluded by saying, “I would appeal to motorists to keep their speeds down, once the road is resurfaced, as speed on the road is another concern that many residents have voiced to me.”