We are proud to have provided the architectural design for Brampton House in Torquay, one of the first new council housing schemes delivered directly by Torbay Council in a generation.
The project has transformed the former Brampton Court Hotel, a long vacant building in a prominent Torquay location, into 14 high quality one and two bedroom apartments for local people. The homes are now ready to welcome their first residents before Christmas.
The conversion of Brampton House was led by Bramcourt Ltd, with construction carried out by Armada Property UK. Co Create Architects were appointed to lead the architectural design, working closely with the client team, contractor and Torbay Council to reimagine the building as sustainable, long term social housing.
This scheme is the first completed project under Torbay Council’s innovative Hotels to Homes programme, which focuses on repurposing under used brownfield buildings such as former hotels and guesthouses. The approach helps tackle housing need while protecting greenfield land and supporting regeneration across Torbay and South Devon.
Construction was completed in under nine months from the grant of planning permission, an impressive programme made possible through close collaboration and the use of local suppliers and a local workforce. Armada Property employed up to 50 people during the build, most from Torbay and South Devon, and relocated its headquarters from Teignmouth to Torquay during the project.
A central design challenge was achieving high environmental performance within an existing structure. Converted buildings are often difficult to upgrade, yet all apartments at Brampton House have achieved an Energy Performance Certificate rating of B.
The design incorporates high quality insulation, solar panels and energy efficient boilers. This level of thermal performance not only reduces running costs for residents but also helps secure the future of the building for decades to come.
As architects working across Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay and the wider South West, we see retrofit and conversion projects like this as a vital part of delivering sustainable housing. Reusing existing buildings lowers embodied carbon while bringing neglected sites back into productive use.
The apartments at Brampton House will be let at social rents and allocated through Devon Home Choice. Priority is given to households with a local connection to Torbay, including people working permanently in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. There are currently around 1,600 households on the waiting list in Torbay. Schemes like this form a practical and scalable response to that pressure, delivering good quality homes in established communities.
Cllr Alan Tyerman, Cabinet Member for Housing and Finance at Torbay Council, described the completion as a significant milestone, showing that it is possible to deliver new homes while protecting valued green spaces.
The Brampton House project was supported by funding from Homes England, the UK Government and Principality Building Society. The development has since been acquired by Torbay Council as part of its longer term housing delivery plan. A second Hotels to Homes site has now been secured at the former Seabury Hotel in Torquay, with construction expected to start in mid 2026. Further sites are also being explored, with other councils across the UK now looking at the Torbay model as an example of good practice.
Co Create Architects is an architecture practice based in Devon, with offices in Exeter and Plymouth, led by directors Alistair Powe and Jamie Dewdney. We work across Exeter, Torbay, Plymouth, Cornwall and the wider South West delivering housing led projects that respond to real local need.
Our practice focuses on social housing, affordable housing and regeneration, with a strong emphasis on reuse, retrofit and brownfield development. We believe well designed homes should be robust, efficient and rooted in place, whether they are delivered through council housing programmes or private led regeneration.
Brampton House is a clear example of our approach. The project allowed us to apply our experience in converting existing buildings, balancing practical delivery with long term environmental performance and liveability. Working closely with the wider project team we helped transform a disused hotel into energy efficient homes that will serve the local community for years to come.
