Torre in Torquay has long been a shopping area in Torquay with problems. The solution it seems is to pump money into developing the area.

What if this isn't the problem?

What if the problem is the shops themselves?

We have businesses that shut whenever they feel it ignoring their own opening and closing times. We have businesses that still shut for lunch. we have resturants that seem to have more days off each year than opening days. We have other shops that don't open on Mondays and we even have a fish and chip shop that has shut for the summer.

Given the choice where would you rather shop?

There are so few shops in Torre that actually have set opening times they stick to and open all year I for one am not surprised people don't shop here. It's also no wonder that out-of-town stores do so well because you know when you shop there you know you can buy everything you need without worrying about having to race from one shop to the next in case they decide to shut an hour early or shut altogether for a few days.

The biggest irony seems to be that it's the businesses campaigning for a better Torre that cause me the biggest grief because I have to listen to people complaining that its shut early again and where can they go instead.... down town I politely reply.