Where to live in Torquay

[Hannahthepink]

We're moving to Torquay, and we're starting to look at houses, but although we know the town a bit, we're not very clued up on what residential areas are best.

We have small children so are interested in having a lovely primary school nearby.
It's also essential to be in easy walking distance to a nice beach.
We're moving from a market town with lovely independent shops, lots of community events and green spaces, and whilst we recognise that Torquay is a very different place, we would love to find a similar community minded feel somewhere.

Our budget is around £500,000, so seems to cover houses that we like in most areas of the town.

We really liked St Marychurch, and others have told us to look at Chelston, but we weren't quite as sure on that area.
If you have any tips on (dare I say it...) 'naice' spots that we can home in on I'd be really grateful!

Babbacombe is lovely.

As far away as possible

Sorry didn't mean to post so soon. I grew up there and really it wasn't great. I was in quite a deprived area so I'm not sure if areas where there are more money are better and also it might be better nowadays than it was in the 90s

For your dcs there used to be a place called the fun factory- it closed down and was turned into the rainbow fun house- they were great places and fantastic for kids if they are still there

For 500k don't move to Torquay, drugs are a big issue and it is quite deprived. I'd look elsewhere.

I left torquay on purpose after moving there with high hopes. It's run down and scruffy. I lived in abbey road big mistake!
That said the other side with babbacombe going away from the town is really pretty.

Have you read any of the council minutes or the local chamber of commerce? Torquay is and has been for several years pre Covid, badly in need of regeneration and investment. There is huge debt, businesses closing and as it's becoming increasingly deprived, crime rates and poverty are way above the national average and very bad for Devon. Babbacombe, whilst lovely to look at, has its own drug territory issues with a dedicated multiagency team working across it and surrounding areas to encourage teens vulnerable to grooming into positive street projects. This is not a wise move. Far safer places in Devon with better economic and social prospects.

Nooooo. Don't- my Dh worked there for 3 years - he vows never to go back if can help it and we only live 30miles away!!!. So many lovely places to live in Devon but not Torquay - sorry.

Kingsteignton is as close as I'd go. I'd choose the worst part of Exeter over anywhere in Torquay.

If you've got 500k then you can find somewhere in the area outside of Torquay. Why does it have to be Torquay specifically?

Thanks everyone, we are definitely not going into this with rose tinted glasses on, but for various reasons we are convinced that Torquay is for us right now.
I grew up in an extremely deprived seaside town, so I completely understand the issues that the town faces.
Obviously I don't want to move my family next door to a drug den, but I know that there are pockets of the town that are very, very lovely. I know from personal experience that in seaside towns these areas can seem to sit very close to one another but are really worlds apart!
We will consider things very carefully.

Well those of us who live and/or work there are telling you not to move there. How do you intend to find these lovely pockets? A post on Mumsnet hasn't really worked out.

No, it hasn't really worked out, but what did I expect from the most negative forum in the world than to tell me to write off the entire town 😂

Honestly it's really not a great place to live sorry OP :(. We have family there and they are desperate to leave even though they live in a really lovely part.

Thanks Meadowbreeze, but where do they live now? Why do they want to leave? Where do they want to move to instead? Somewhere else in Torbay?

There must be someone in 65,000 people living there that lives on a nice street, whose children like one of the (actually very good) schools, and has insider knowledge of a bloody artisan bakery opening up?!

I joke, but if someone asked about the town that I live in, I could draw them a red, amber and green map of every street here!

I don’t know Torquay but my neighbour has moved from Dorset and lives in a bit she said is referred to as the Lincombes I think and 2 of her friends have followed them as they really like it. Absolutely no idea about schools as their children are adults. Doubt that helps but just in case.

Chelston is a good shout. Around the innerbrook road/Rosary road/Old Mill Road area. Good little selection of local shops and take aways. Maybe 10 minutes on the flat to Torre Abbey Sands. About the same to the main station. And there's a couple of decent primary schools. Cockington primary and sherwell valley. Depends on what your requirements are. Parking is at a premium as it is everywhere, so it would be grand to find out if that's one of your priorities. Also, the lincombes, as mentioned earlier are very nice, if a bit of a hike to the beach, as are the warberries. Upper middle and lower warberry roads. Gargan and Hart are a local agent based in chelston, so you could definitely do worse than googling them and having a chat with Daman.

Thanks Volterra, I know exactly where they must be. That is indeed a lovely spot to be in!

Thank you robneil, it's good to hear lots of names that we've heard before popping up again on here. I'll definitely follow up with those agents.

There are so many lovely towns and villages in South Devon, Torquay is not one of them, it’s cheap for a reason.

It's interesting LadyVictoriaSponge, it's nowhere near as cheap as it was! There are certainly some more affordable areas, but in the nicer bits the prices are much higher than you think.

Have you considered Paignton? More of a town centre, big play areas and skate parks etc, steam train and big new library. There are some lovely houses in the Preston area TQ3 or around Goodrington.

If you want walking distance to beach and primary schools then definitely have a look at Paignton. You've got Oldway and Preston primaries with swimming pools and can walk to the beach from both of those.

I know you wanted different answers and feel people are being too negative, but I posted a thread not so long ago asking about three towns just outside London (I couldn’t check from abroad) and the answers were bang on. If people are negative, I wouldn’t discount that.

Are you moving for work? Do you need to commute into Torquay?

We made a terrible mistake with our move abroad to a gorgeous sounding little town near a beach and I wish I’d posted on MN first that time because the locals were awful and so was the area in reality (looked pretty though), and selling a house 18 months after you bought it doesn’t inspire confidence in buyers.

We lived in Chelston. It's supposed to be a lovely area but my best friends mum's partner was found murdered in the park. There's a huge drugs problem in the Torquay area as a whole, as well as a mass intrusion of migrants and asylum seekers. There are big problems with professional begging and homelessness.
I wouldn't go back there, I would rather live somewhere like Luton or Birmingham.
Look elsewhere. Torquay is expensive, exclusive, and not a pleasant area in which to live. The council don't care about the residents, or the town, and the wealth divide causes serious social problems. The schools are good though, particularly the grammars and Shiphay primary.