Developed by Tavistock resident Martin Hawkins, Tavistock Imagined is a project which hopes to revive disused buildings surrounding the Pannier Market and draw visitors into Tavistock.
Martin believes that glazing the perimeter road around the Pannier Market will offer an all-weather location for evening facilities such as cafés, wine bars, street food and entertainment.
The plan also suggests turning Butcher’s Hall into a mezzanine floor with a balcony overlooking the river occupied with a bar or restaurant (instead of using the building to extend the Pannier Market) and the introduction of a micro brewery in the Court House/Police Station (instead of the council offices) alongside the planned heritage centre.
Martin hopes to gain support from various local bodies including Tavistock Town Council, Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce and West Devon Borough Council.
He added: ‘I came up with the idea and ran it past a few other local people and everyone I spoke to agreed that it would be a great idea.’
‘We were going to introduce it a little while ago but we changed our minds and decided that now is the right time.
‘Tavistock is a brilliant town but it could be much better. There is a retail park planned for Derriford with a supermarket and restaurants – developers think that they will be able to draw in people from nearby towns like Tavistock but it would be so much better if people didn’t have to travel to a different town or city for that kind of evening entertainment or shopping.
‘There is a saying: “a business that stands still is going backwards” and I believe that is true for towns too. Tavistock really does have an opportunity to move forward and become a place with entertainment which can be used to draw other people in.’
Martin said that he has set up a Tavistock Imagined Facebook page with a link to a petition on change.org and that the first step will be getting a following and collecting signatures to take to the town council.
‘We hope to progress the plans for the local people as well not just visitors and we hope that people with other ideas will come forward too.
‘We need to go for it and make Tavistock even better. I would like to see the changes made sooner rather than later – where there is a will there is a way!
‘The council has had plans to put a new roof on the Pannier Market for five years but I hope that when it is done, there will be enough space left around the building for the perimeter to be glazed. This is something that can be done in stages but we have to have an end plan.
‘If we do see out the plan in stages, it could be paid for using Section 106 money as it seems that at the moment there is no plan for it to be used. Also if Butcher’s Hall was commercially let, the money could be used from that or if a restaurant was leasing the building it might be that they could finance the work.
‘We need positive thinking and ideas! With the plans for the heritage centre it is mostly about ensuring nothing is done to hinder what could be done in the future.
‘Everyone we have spoken to so far has been positive about the idea. Hopefully some of the larger businesses in Tavistock will support the plans too – Abbey Garden Machinery and Fairway Furniture have both expressed their support. The way most people look at it is that if it was a better town it would be better for business too – we just want to bring more people into the town.’
West Devon Borough Councillor for Tavistock South West Graham Parker is also in support of the Tavistock Imagined scheme.
He said: ‘Martin and I have talked about this quite a lot in the past. We started talking about it last summer as I am responsible for strategic planning for West Devon Borough Council.
‘The town centres in Okehampton and Tavistock are two of the most important places in the borough. We want to take Tavistock Imagined to the Chamber of Commerce and hope that we can all support the plans as a united front – the borough council included too.
‘I have worked on many town centre plans – people are reinventing towns to keep up with shoppers’ trends. Lots of areas offer out of town shopping, for example in Tavistock there is Tesco and Morrisons and those supermarkets drag shoppers out of the town centre.
‘If we don’t re-invent we will lose the shoppers and visitors – there is a lot of potential in Tavistock. There is farming nearby, fresh produce and amazing suppliers. It would be helpful to re-invent the town with the help of Tavistock Imagined.
‘I am really supportive of the plans and think it would be a positive thing for people in the local area and for visitors.’
Neal Taynton-Young, Chairman of Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, said: ‘I have already fielded the idea and will be soon sending the details out.
‘I am looking to engage with members of the chamber to see what their view points are – I think anything that engages the community and starts to move us forward is positive. We never know where the journey will take us but the fact that we are starting on a new journey is positive.’