Premier Inn comment on their application
Premier Inn has posted a series of comments about their application to develop on the Elizabeth Hall site. These all concern changes made to their planning application in response to the earlier public consultation.
These comments can all be seen on Premier Inn’s dedicated website for their Exmouth application http://www.premierinnexmouth.co.uk/q-and-a.htm and are also reflected on the front page of today’s Exmouth Journal (follow link below)
Exmouth Vision: looking back on 2012 and forward to 2013
Earlier this month, EDDC Cabinet members received an update on progress so far with Exmouth Vision, together with a forward-look to likely activities and milestones during the rest of 2013.
That report was published at the time as part of Cabinet papers, and indeed was reported to a great extent in the Exmouth Journal.
We didn’t cover it at the time on Exmouth Vision, so here’s the full text of the report included below…
Since the time of writing, Premier Inn has submitted their formal planning application for the Elizabeth Hall site, and Cabinet members agreed to give officers the green light to work further on an amended ‘Exmouth Splash’ proposal with a view to preparing a separate outline planning application. Continue reading →
Premier Inn submits Exmouth seafront planning application
Premier Inn has submitted its planning application to EDDC for the proposed Elizabeth Hall site redevelopment on Exmouth seafront.
The application is open for consultation and people can comment online at http://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk under application reference 13/0494/MFUL.
Consultation closes on Tuesday 9 April 2013 and the application will be determined at a meeting of the council’s Development Management Committee, the date of which will be confirmed shortly.
More on the lifting of Exmouth seafront covenants
We’ve posted a couple of times recently about the lifting of the restrictive covenants covering parts of Exmouth seafront.
This post gives more detail about when councillors debated these matters and took the relevant decisions.
Previous posts on the seafront covenants can be seen at:
http://exmouthvision.com/2012/12/19/lifting-of-the-exmouth-seafront-covenants/#more-245
http://exmouthvision.com/2012/12/07/details-of-exmouth-seafront-covenants/
Hundreds give their views to Premier Inn about proposed Elizabeth Hall site development
Premier Inn spoke to over 300 people at the Pavilion on Saturday about their plans for the Elizabeth Hall site, with over 100 forms posted in the ballot box and 20 e-mail responses. These covered a range of views, including comments and suggestions about the proposed design, toilet facilities and the actual position of the building on the site.
Following an open-market offer earlier in the year, East Devon District Council gave Premier Inn preferred bidder status to buy and develop the Elizabeth Hall site. Final negotiations led to Premier Inn and EDDC exchanging contracts on the site earlier in December 2012. This means that Premier Inn-owners Whitbread plc have contractually agreed to the sale price conditional upon receiving formal planning permission.
All comments received on Saturday will help shape Premier Inn’s formal planning application due to come forward next year.
Details of Exmouth seafront covenants
Here are the details of the former restrictive covenants which covered some parts of Exmouth seafront, released by Clinton Devon Estates in 2010.
The link below shows the legal release document, indicating the terms of the covenants that applied when they were in force and describing each of the individual covenanted areas:
The deed of release also relates to the map below of the Exmouth seafront areas which has each of the former covenanted areas highlighted.
(apologies for the gap below; this is just how the map was scanned)
‘Agent’s relationship with major commercial organisations a benefit, not a conspiracy.’
This is a copy of a letter sent by EDDC Leader Cllr Paul Diviani today in response to an enquiry by a district resident:
As EDDC Leader I am happy to comment on the formal procurement process used for buying in commercial property agents, and also on our assurances – in this case concerning the Elizabeth Hall site sale – over the relationship between Jones Lang Lasalle and Premier Inn.
Premier Inn set to take pole position on Exmouth seafront
Premier Inn, part of Whitbread PLC, has emerged as the preferred bidder to take on ownership of the Elizabeth Hall site on Exmouth’s seafront.
A Premier Inn hotel with a new-style café/restaurant on the ground floor could now be built and open for business by as early as Spring 2014.
Three bidders invited to talk about Elizabeth Hall proposals
Three bidders looking to buy and redevelop the Elizabeth Hall site on Exmouth seafront will be asked to talk about their proposals in greater detail later this month.
Once this further research has been completed, EDDC’s Cabinet will be recommended to agree to sell the site to the bidder who is considered to offer the best all-round deal for the town.
A selection panel of EDDC Members and Officers looked at all the bids on Friday 7 September and agreed that they would not choose a preferred partner until three bidders have been interviewed about their proposals.
Scoring matrix
The Panel, made up of members of the Exmouth Regeneration Project Executive *, along with Councillor Mrs Pat Graham, one of the Ward Members for the seafront, used a scoring matrix to compare the submissions fairly, against a number of consistent criteria.
The main elements the Panel were looking for were:
- The bid provides a quality mixed-use development with active frontage and amenity that attract visitors and residents to the Seafront and will positively promote links between the Town Centre and Seafront
- The bid is commercially viable and provides a deliverable and sustainable development
- The bid includes a financial offer
- The bid has a positive socio-economic impact on the surrounding area, encouraging further regeneration of Exmouth in line with the Exmouth Seafront and Town Masterplan.
After scoring the submissions, the Panel decided that three proposers merited further discussion and have therefore invited them to talk in more detail about their ideas on 26 September.
The names of the organisations and the types of development proposed cannot be revealed at this time due to commercial confidentiality surrounding the bidding process – as is normal in such cases.
After the new round of discussions, the Panel will choose a preferred partner and their recommendation will go forward to the EDDC Cabinet meeting on 3 October.
Future of Elizabeth Hall site and Mamhead in focus this week
Formal bidding to take on Exmouth’s Elizabeth Hall site has closed this week, with future development at Mamhead/Pierhead also up for discussion as part of the Exmouth Vision.
From the end of this week, EDDC members will consider all applications to buy the Elizabeth Hall site, while on Wednesday Cabinet members will rule on possible next steps for improvement at the important Mamhead/Pierhead location further up the seafront.
With the bidding process for the Elizabeth Hall site now ended, EDDC members now have a number of formal proposals to consider against criteria set up earlier in the summer. These are designed to ensure regeneration and economic impact for the seafront are weighed alongside financial offers.
This remains a commercially confidential process so more detail cannot be given at this stage. As part of considering each of the proposals from Friday, members will take a view on the time needed to reach a final decision.
Cabinet members are due to receive a petition concerning the Elizabeth Hall sale. In the context of a potential bid to buy from the Friends of Elizabeth Hall, cabinet and selection panel members will then consider the petition as part of their overall deliberations.
Cabinet will also consider whether EDDC should press ahead with its own proposal to shape the strategic future of development at Mamhead/Pierhead.
Such a move could allow a new, longer and re-aligned slipway for public water access as part of a co-ordinated regeneration package for the area.
‘This is an important week for the Exmouth Vision,’ said EDDC Deputy Leader Andrew Moulding. ‘The Elizabeth Hall site has been the subject of much debate for many months so we now need to take a long hard look at all the options for moving forward.
“We have said all along that, while Elizabeth Hall is held in fond regard by many, the site has a huge role to play in encouraging much-needed new investment and prosperity to the seafront and town as a whole.
“We also need to look very closely at the future potential of Mamhead and Pierhead, not least because of the critical state of the existing slipway. Our challenge is to work closely with many partners and shape a single scheme that benefits water-users, residents, visitors and landowners alike.”
