Results from our questionnaire to establish priorities for the town centre BID, highlighted the need for the streets and street furniture to be washed clean and for the accumulation of years of chewing gum to be removed from the pavements.

Torbay Council is in the process of establishing a Joint Venture Company (JVC) with a private contractor to deliver all the maintenance and cleansing contracts across the Bay. The proposals will improve the outcomes considerably from the current standard. There are however elements of the cleansing contract that will not be delivered as a standard item in the JVC contract. These include regular street washing and chewing gum removal. The Torquay BID will work with the council and the JVC to deliver these services for Torquay businesses.

Torquay BID will provide:

• Deep cleaning, including gum removal, once per year on all footpaths throughout
  the BID area before the main summer holiday season.
  
• Cleaning hot spots throughout the year, including washing street furniture and removing stains and grease.
  
• Bring empty shops back into use where possible or to dress the windows with vinyl or other materials with attractive images to promote the town and its attractions.
  
• Regular dialogue with the contractor to work with the new JVC to ensure that all
  aspects of cleansing, floral displays, refuse removal and street maintenance are
  improved and maintained.
  
• For the rapid removal of graffiti and fly-posting.
  
• An opportunity to explore the potential for negotiating a single contract for the removal of trade waste for all BID businesses.

Torquay has been subjected to years of aggressive competition from Exeter, Plymouth and the Willows, as a result visitor and shopper numbers, and average spend per head have declined very significantly. To arrest the decline and to challenge the threat, the BID will provide a consistent and imaginative programme of marketing and promotion based on sound market research.

Torquay’s unique key assets are the harbour-side and water-front; it is vital that we capitalise on those key assets in our advertising and promotion of the town, balanced with the range of retail in the rest of the town centre.

A tailored marketing programme will include:

• Promoting Torquay as a quality destination, featuring the unique attraction of the harbour area. 
• A dedicated website for businesses in the Torquay BID area that will include a directory offering a free listing on this website. It will also provide specific information about activities in the BID area, featuring special offers and new initiatives. The BID will seek to find ways to utilise an on-street, touch-screen technology platform to add value and accessibility for this website.
  
• A retail map and directory will be produced annually, highlighting the wide variety of shopping, professional, eating, entertainment and drinking outlets available in the town centre for distribution throughout Torbay, South Devon and beyond.
  
• A consistent programme of advertising to encourage both visitors and residents to use the town to challenge the threat from Plymouth and Exeter. This will take the form of outdoor advertising and bus advertisements, press and on-line promotions. This will focus on the key asset of Torquay as a quality retail destination near the sea.
  
• Working closely with the Tourism sector and the Torbay Development Agency to promote the town and the brand nationally, to encourage new visitors to the area.
  
• Installation of footfall cameras so that we can accurately monitor customer flows and measure our success in attracting
• An annual programme of market research to test customer satisfaction, customer service and accessibility to the town centre services. A Mystery Shopping Survey will be a core part of this research, building on the results delivered in 2009.
  
• Actively encouraging Torbay Council to improve the signposting system around the town centre, to improve town centre navigation and encourage better pedestrian flows from the top end of the BID area to the harbour-side and into the smaller retail areas such as Market Street and West Braddons Hill.
  
• Improving the link between The Willows Retail Park and the town centre, through an information kiosk, better sign-posting and joint promotions with retail where possible.
  
• We will actively encourage Torbay Council to introduce regular parking promotions to encourage town centre footfall and spend.
• A regular BID newsletter delivered to every BID business, every two months, keeping you in touch with what we are doing and how you can get involved.

The town centre needs to be a safe and secure place to work, shop and do business. Not only must your customers be safe but they must also feel safe. In our consultations you told us that you would like a more visible security presence on the streets.

Torquay BID area already has a day-time complement of 1 Police Sergeant and 2 Police Community Support Officers; in addition the Torquay Night-time Economy Team (NET) consists of a team of 10 Police Officers, the night bus and street pastors.

Torbay Council employs 2 street wardens who patrol the top end of the BID area. They are responsible for issuing fixed penalty notices for littering, dog fouling, etc, they also provide reassurance for the general public and a link for businesses to the Police.

This security team will remain in the town centre.

Torquay BID will provide :

• Two additional, dedicated PCSOs, doubling the Police presence in the day-time.
  
• An operational base for the town centre Police team in an office in The Market Forum.
  
• A dedicated, badged BID Police team to focus on your needs.
  
• Co-location of the Street Wardens with the Police team so that all the Torquay BID security team is in
  one place and working together to share information and intelligence. This team will work together with ‘Storenet’ (the retail radio system) to give back-up and support. It will be dedicated to reducing and preventing the amount of on-street crime: antisocial behaviour, begging, illegal trading, littering, dog fouling etc as well as providing back-up support for business and reducing the fear of crime .
  
• Work to achieve The Purple Flag Award for the night-time economy. A scheme that sets the ‘Gold
  Standard’ for a safe enjoyable night out for everyone.  Gaining this award will change the poor
  perception of Torquay to a quality night-time destination.
  
• A dedicated Police mobile phone number for BID businesses that will be monitored 7 days per week.
• Early warning system through the Police Community Messaging System, to give a weekly heads-up
  on issues that businesses need to know about town centre security and other issues of interest.
• Crime reduction training on request.
  
• Regular meetings with the Police for BID levy payers.