Empty shops hitting 'social fabric' of Devon towns

There are currently 48 shops standing empty in Torquay

A business leader has warned empty shops are impacting the economy and "social fabric" of market towns like Torquay and Paignton.

Tim Jones, from the South West Business Council, said one in five shops were now empty in the region, while 1,800 premises closed in 2022 alone.

He said this was the highest rate seen since the financial crash of 2007 and 2008.

Torbay Council said it was working to help businesses survive.

But Mr Jones added: "Everyone wants to go online at the moment."

"The costs that shopkeepers are incurring - business rates, higher minimum wages, insurance, inflation - all those things are dramatically affecting the fortunes of the high street.

"We just cannot afford to lose them.

"This is an important part not just of the economy but of the social fabric of many of our market towns."

Tim Jones said 1,800 shops closed in the South West in 2022

Meanwhile, the South West Business Council said the region lost £2.6bn in trade during Covid, with sectors including pharmacies and banks among the worst hit as consumers increasingly choose to shop online.

George Helmore, a commercial department specialist, said: "We've seen some larger investments which were potentially London-owned or foreign investments which have now gone to auction and have been sold.

"A lot of them have been bought up by more local people, which is great because local people want to spend money locally and make properties look better".

Recent years have seen the highest rate of shop closures since 2007/2008

Torbay Council said it would invest £11m in Union Square, supported by £21.9m from the government's Towns Fund, part of its plan to "level up" the country and revealed in November 2023.

Chris Lewis, deputy leader at Torbay Council, said there were "too many shops for the present day", leading to some being knocked down.

But he said "every encouragement" was needed to help local businesses survive.