Fishing port plans extension after record sales

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting Service
News imageBBC Brixham Harbour with calm water, small boats in the foreground, and a hillside of colourful houses under a partly cloudy sky.
BBC
Brixham's fishing port could be extended if approved by Torbay Council's cabinet

A fishing port in Torbay has seen sales more than double in the past five years with the "upward trajectory" showing "no signs of slowing", a report has found.

Due to its success of sales rising from £36.8m in 2020 to £77.7m in 2025, Brixham's fishing port could be extended with new buildings if approved by Torbay Council's cabinet on 12 May.

The council is expected to approve the next stages of plans to extend buildings at Oxen Cove for the Brixham Port Infrastructure Project (PIP), the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The project would be funded with £9.8m from the government's Levelling Up Fund and £4.2m borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board.

The report said the PIP was a "pivotal intervention" to safeguard and expand a valuable fish market and that the current facilities were cramped and restricted.

It added that the area faced crumbling cliff faces, pressure on the port's car parking spaces and difficulties of getting large vehicles through Brixham's narrow streets.

Plans include five new units which would create 40 new jobs, with planning consent to be sought in October.

If approved, building could begin in January, with the first businesses operational from the beginning of 2028.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.