AMBITIOUS plans to completely transform and reshape the heart of Newton Abbot have been leaked.

Major work has been proposed for the Market Walk area, the multi-storey car park in Sherborne Road, the Cattle Market and Cricketfield car park.

Members of Teignbridge Council are exploring different ways to improve the town and draw in more people.

Councillors are being asked to fork out £1.9m to improve shop fronts in Market Walk and install a glass roof over part of the shopping centre.

One councillor revealed some of the aspirations the council has include moving businesses, flattening the Cattle Market and building another multi-storey car park.

It is understood the town’s historic cinema in Market Street could be relocated to make way for a new pub – but the district council denied it.

The picture house, run by Scott Cinemas, is rumoured to be moving into New Look’s current base in Market Walk.

And the fashion retailer could be shifting to the crumbling and derelict former post office just across the square.

A brand new hotel is also on the drawing board and the Job Centre building has been earmarked as the likely location.

The Job Centre announced it is vacating the building opposite the Sherborne Road car park and moving into Teignbridge Council’s Forde House HQ.

Plans to tear down the Cattle Market were revealed last month and now it has been announced that the site, once cleared, will be used temporarily for car parking.

The move comes as the council is set to shut down the mult- storey car park for refurbishment and turn Cricketfield car park into two storeys.

The member who leaked the council’s ambitions to the Mid-Devon Advertiser said these revelations are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and warned there is plenty more to come.

Details of the council’s regeneration scheme are still in the infancy stage and nothing has been set in stone.

Teignbridge Council purchased the Market Walk shopping centre for £13 million in early 2016.

Newton Abbot’s town development manager Sally Henley said: ‘I was delighted when Teignbridge Council purchased the shopping centre.

‘While currently, it may not be architecturally aspirational, it does sit at the heart of our town centre and has always had a very healthy occupancy rate.

‘I look forward to supporting Teignbridge Council with its regeneration plans in any way that I can.

‘I am sure that businesses within the area will be delighted that at last, meaningful plans for the improvement of these town centre spaces are being drawn up.’

A public exhibition of the £1.9 million spruce-up will be on show in the Market Square on September 16 and 20.

Leader of the Tory-run council Jeremy Christophers said: ‘Newton Abbot has a strong and leading role to play as the economic engine for Teignbridge and as an attractive place where people want to live, work, shop, visit and play, and our emerging masterplan vision for Newton Abbot is central to Teignbridge’s aspirations for a district.

‘The regeneration of the town is a key part of the adopted Local Plan which was consulted and agreed upon in 2014.’

The Local Plan states: ‘The study and discussion with commerical agents suggests that Newton Abbot should be able to support additional cinema screens.

‘This is a key town centre use for which space should be found as part of the proposed mixed-use development of opportunity areas, subject to market demand.

‘Other complementary uses such as hotels would also be appropriate in the town centre.’

Cllr Christophers added: ‘We are looking at sharing this vision with full council so all members can have their say alongside public exhibitions and stakeholder engagement meetings, some of which are already underway.

‘Newton Abbot is Teignbridge’s principal town and we want to enhance and improve the town centre to serve a growing populations, make it a destination of choice and place of which the people of the whole district can truly be proud of.’