IAN Broadfoot has taken on what many might consider a poisoned chalice — the job of restoring Torquay town centre's fortunes.

Locals will never tire of telling you that the town centre is not what it used to be, to put it mildly.

Trying to win back shoppers who have succumbed to the lure of top shops and free parking at The Willows, not to mention the revitalised Exeter and Plymouth shopping centres, is an uphill struggle.

The town centre area is perceived as grubby, run down and lacking decent shops and atmosphere.

But in recent months a new mood appears to be sweeping the streets, which may mean that the prospects for improvement are better than for many years, with more business people working together to turn it around.

A new Torbay Town Centres Company has been set up and Ian has taken up the post of Torquay's town centre operations manager, created thanks to businesses in the area voting in favour of a town centre Business Improvement District (known as the BID).

The self-help initiative will have a budget of up to £2million over five years. The projects will be chosen by businesses and Ian's job is to do the groundwork to help turn the plans into reality.

Ian, 43, who has been in post for three months, said: "I am really enjoying it. It's been really busy. Lucy Ball, our chief executive, and the businesses did a lot of work in setting it up. People are very positive about the BID and keen to make it a success.

"The business plan is in place, and it's my job to get cracking to turn it into reality. I do think Torquay is a lovely centre. There are some issues in terms of the length of the town centre, about guiding and informing people about what's here.

"I think we could improve the mix of shops, get more High Street and key niche brands in, such as Gap, Fat Face and White Stuff. It would be fantastic if we could get a department store in upper Union Street.

"In any location you have to continue to invest and improve. You cannot afford to rest on your laurels.

"There needs to be physical investment. There are some nice areas where there has been investment, such as in Lower Union Street and Beacon Quay, but it's making sure everything joins up and flows nicely for shoppers.

"I think that's where a town centre partnership comes in, linking areas like the top of Union Street and the harbour. The BID is a key element, but it is just part of the picture. The economic regeneration work the Torbay Development Agency has been doing is very important.

"The BID brings businesses together, and one of the main aims of the steering group is for example to work together to bring more families to Torquay."

His accent gives away that Ian was born many miles from the English Riviera, in Fife. He worked with Midlothian Council at Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, for seven years in economic development.

"It had similar issues to Torquay, losing trade to Edinburgh and out-of-town complexes," he said. "I worked on physical regeneration of the town centre, on a strategic plan and talking to developers. It's not quite there — change doesn't happen overnight — but it is starting to work.

"From that I started getting interested in town centre management. Everybody uses the town centre, but they don't always love it. It's such an important place for a town.

"When an opportunity arose to work in Edinburgh city centre I leapt at it. Physically it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is strong culturally, and it has wonderful heritage. But it lost a lot of its retail market share — perhaps it had rested on its laurels. It's a beautiful place and I still enjoy visiting the place as my friends and family are still there."

Ian worked for six years as Edinburgh city centre manager before he and his family decided to make a complete lifestyle change and go to Australia. He'd met his wife Debbie in Australia and they wanted to go back with their children: they have five, aged between three and 11, two girls and three boys.

Ian said: "We were both working while I had taken a year out to do a world trip to places like Nepal. We moved down to Kingsbridge for a while, while I was still working up in Edinburgh.

"We came down here regularly on holiday, visiting the South Hams. We loved the beauty of the place and the pace of life."

The choice was going to be moving permanently to Devon or Australia — "fortunately or unfortunately" the Australian visa came through really quickly.

They moved to Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, five hours from Sydney.

"To get a visa you have to live and work in a regional area of Australia. The family settled down very well," he said.

Ian managed the local practice of international group GHD, an Australian group which deals with engineering, architecture and planning.

"My specialism was town centres and economic development, and some of the same issues exist on the other side of the world," he said.

"Out-of-town shopping is starting to develop. But as a new country they are able to plan their towns in a completely different way. They have the space, they are linear and quite American in style.

"We really settled into the lifestyle, though lack of water and the heat were the biggest issues. You also have to pay more for healthcare and education. But one of the things we missed was being close to friends and family, and we came back for those reasons.

"But the kids have had a unique experience which has been good, especially for the older ones.

"The school trips they have out there are fantastic and they learn so much from a different way of life."

The family has settled back in Kingsbridge and is making the most of the outdoor life the South Hams offers.

Ian said: "We have just discovered Dartmoor, so we are up there a lot. We are trying to encourage the children to make the most of the outdoor life, to be healthy and active. We love the sea and the beach, cycling, all sports really, athletics, football. "

Debbie, 39, also helps to manage holiday properties in the area.

When they first came back Ian secured a job in Exmouth, working on new visitor centres, for about six weeks before he saw the advert for the Torbay Town Centres Company job.

"It was too good an opportunity to miss," he said. "I am here for the long term. In this kind of job to make a real difference there has to be a longer-term strategy.

"In five years we can develop the momentum to get customers back. It's not too late.

"There is competition out there. Unless you embrace that fact and react to it you are not going to get anywhere. You need to look at the competition locally and regionally: see what they are doing in Totnes, Dartmouth, Plymouth, Exeter.

"Torquay still has its unique environment with the harbour and waterfront, and the fact that the town centre is so linked with the waterfront. It's a fantastic asset. But we need more people in the town centre and spending more.

"There is a role for pound shops, but we need to raise the quality of what we have to offer, not just the shops but the environment and the night-time economy.

"That takes investment through the BID, the TDA and the council itself."

And does he actually like shopping?

"I guess that the tactful answer would be 'it depends on who I am with and what I am shopping for'."