Building a consensus about how to say yes…
Exmouth Vision is rooted in the views, wishes and aspirations of those who live in, work in and visit the town. It has been shaped through extensive consultation, listening to what people say and capturing what they really think should happen to Exmouth in the years ahead.
Many of the Vision’s proposals – such as transforming the entry point to the town and the future of some seafront attractions – have been the subject of keen debate and discussion across the town for many years. The current priorities emerged from over a year’s worth of workshops, study and consultation in 2010 and 2011 involving many groups, businesses and individuals. During that time, several thousand people across the town have taken the trouble to look at and read about plans for change, having the opportunity at every stage to ask detailed questions and register their views about what lies ahead.
So it is important to understand that these proposals have not been produced out of a hat, or made up through a hasty process to meet potential funding deadlines. Exmouth Vision is a journey which began many years ago with now, we hope, a realistic prospect of progress and delivery during the years ahead.
In 2010, EDDC – working with planning and design consultants LDA – held eight major workshops with over 200 landowners, business representatives and community leaders. These were no tick-box exercises but carefully planned and supported sessions aimed at getting to the heart of a complicated range of options for change and progress in Exmouth. The focus, relentlessly, was on what could work rather than what definitely wouldn’t.
This wide range of views helped shape a Masterplan that was presented for public scrutiny in the summer of 2011. Public exhibitions, a dedicated website and information distributed to clubs, organisations and businesses throughout the town all helped spread the word. Other promotional measures included:
- Extensive coverage in Exmouth and East Devon media throughout the consultation period
- Flyers and information posted to all Exmouth residents on EDDC’s ‘Speak Now’ residents panel
- Posters in community centres in and around Exmouth
- Posters and information posted at Exmouth Fire Station, Exmouth Police Station, Town and District Council offices and Exmouth Community College
- 3,500 flyers and 50 posters distributed at locations as diverse as:
- Sandy Bay Holiday Park
- Exmouth Youth Centre
- Shops in the Parade and Exeter Road
- Exmouth Library
- Exmouth LED Sports Centre, Pavilion, Train station, Heath Centre
Formal public exhibitions were held during the last week of June 2011 in Elizabeth Hall and then in the Magnolia Centre during early July 2011. All the exhibition material, when not being used for these formal events, was on display throughout the summer of 2011 at the Thomas Tucker shopin Exmouth town centre, signposting people to where they could comment on the proposals.
All in all, the public consultation period for Exmouth Vision during 2011 was promoted far and wide in the town. The consultation materials were designed to allow all with an interest to engage in the way that they wanted to. Some studied the proposals in detail, asked questions and took the chance to fill in a detailed questionnaire giving their views. Others had a quick read, looked at the plans and then moved on. Some saw the consultation in passing, some chose to look at it up close. Importantly, everyone who wanted to engage and really get involved was able to do just that.
And of course consultation and gathering of views continues. Informal proposals about what could take shape at ‘Exmouth Splash’ have now been shared with existing businesses on Queen’s Drive, with full public consultation to follow later in the autumn. A similar sharing of detailed options is planned for next steps on Estuaryside, probably in 2013. EDDC is also working with water users and landowners to put new plans for a re-built slipway and related developments forward for public examination.
Exmouth Vision is a broad and far reaching set of proposals, so of course not everyone agrees with all of it. This is about the future of a town, after all. Broad consultation often produces single rallying points for those unhappy with some aspects of the direction of change; Exmouth has seen this in recent months through the Elizabeth Hall petition. All expressions of concern deserve respect and a fair hearing, so EDDC’s job is to weigh the emotion behind a simple ‘no’ against the desire for change expressed so clearly – if less bluntly – across the town over many years.
In recent years, several thousand people have come to find out about change in Exmouth. Many more will have read and seen from a distance. Building a consensus about how to say yes is a lot harder than signing a form to say no. Consultations aim to get inside the skin of complicated issues, gathering the views and opinions of all parts of the community on making constructive progress on difficult issues.
Que sera sera.
It looks like money talks; councillors are swayed; “consultations” made.
England 2013.
What Exmouth will get is something that will cost more money for visitors to access, and will undoubtedly degrade the natural and open nature of the promenade. Fact that Premier Inn and ASDA are already moving in just proves the downmarketedness of this charade.
Why not just stop consulting and get on with completing this tawdry scheme.
As others have said, perhaps if the Magnolia Centre had a facelift then Exmouth might be improved
The last thing I would want is colourfull gaudy ‘plastic’ type amusements on the front. Sand yachting and roller blading do not need much provision, neither does flying a kite, handball or football. They need space with no tinny music. The promenade is long enough for everyone to enjoy cycling, birdwatching, photography, sitting reading a book in the fresh air.
However, dare I say that the most successful seaside resort in Europe is Benidorm!!! We live 60kms from it in winter. Heaven forbid if people want Exmouth like that!
I personally disagree with the proposal to make changes to the seafront. Exmouth has a lot of natural beauty and the seafront plays a huge role in tourist attraction. The proposal will also destroy a small part of the Mear, which is also one of the best things about Exmouth. Although Exmouth seems a little bit dated, I don’t think that the project should go ahead. I have many reasons behind my opinion, my main concern is the fact that the building of the new things will create a lot of pollution and make the clean air less fresh. People love to walk along the seafront and adding to the seafront will make it dirtier. Visitors enjoy the sights in Exmouth and until the plans were considered, I had never heard anyone complain about the seafront or the town in general. Two of the counsellors came to the school and asked us to give our opinions so I am. My family and I moved here a year or so ago and we were first attracted to the fact that the town and the beach are separate, if the town and seafront were linked then the beauty and tourist attraction of the beach would reduce. Also, Exmouth has many cafes and restaurants so there is no need for more. I also think that there is plenty of parking space around and the is no need to build a new car park. Exmouth gets the lower quality stores too, and they look tacky so they won’t fit in very well. Please, leave Exmouth the way it is, I grew up in the Midlands and never had the beach and it was no where near as nice as Exmouth! Exmouth seafront is fine the way it is!!
Thank you for your comments. The ‘Exmouth Splash’ consultation has now finished. Councillors will now want to study all responses carefully, including comments posted here, during February and March before agreeing how to proceed with a formal planning application.
Sue Harriot expresses my views exactly. Obviously lots of consultation was held a couple of years ago, but the situation has changed financially and also in what folk want at the seaside. Children want energetic sports, swimming, roller skating, sand surfing, flying kites etc OR they want to play on their electronic machines. You must cater for the energetic! The old pier activities have long lost their attraction. So has traipsing round the shops, especially Charity Shops!
Have visitors been asked what they want? They bring in the money! Do pensioner visitors want Premier Inns? No. Do children want them? No. Why not do a large survey during 2013 on the seafront to see what visitors want? Let’s keep Exmouth ‘up market’, not sink to the lowest of the seaside resorts. After all, if the Council has done its homework, Exmouth was the most sought after resort in Britain around 1900. A micro climate, the best place for clean air. The best people settled there. Keep it like that please.
I agree with some of your comments. However, I have been a very frequent visitor to Exmouth as family moved here five years ago . My observations are YES I wholeheartedly agree that Exmouth does require a facelift to encourage tourism and thereby encourage private investment. But please do not be tempted to go down the typical ‘british seaside route’. I for one would not want to see grotesque plastic amusements visually or otherwise alongside classic buildings that front Exmouth seafront. Yes, children (including my own grandchildren) love to be amused actively but so do their parents and grandparents. Our pleasure is walking or cycling along the front admiring the buildings, views and taking in sea air, not watching screaming children on plastic rides and listening to tinny fairground music.
Take a look at other European seaside resorts and ask yourselves why do so many Brits go there to holiday? Why? unspoilt, sympathetic to their architectural history and not slaves to commercial demand thereby preserving their heritage. In a word ‘unique’. It’s a fine balance, understood entirely, but it just might be worth taking a look at our European partners before you take a leap into a vision you can’t undo and make a blot on the seascape!
I put in quite a long reply on about 19th December. It said awaiting moderation for long time and now it has disappeared. The only thing left is a short response to a peppy from Exmouth Vision. Hope my reply is still around as I did not take a copy.
Apologies for the delay. Your original comment is now live.
Exmouthians and visitors to Exmouth have been fortunate to be able to enjoy the legacy of our forefathers who resisted attempts to commercialise Exmouth seafront. They have, on the whole, kept it open and spacious, thus allowing everyone the freedom to use the fabulous beach and immediate hinterland for their own recreational and leisure enjoyment. This is what makes Exmouth spectacularly different from many other seaside towns.
This open aspect is already being eroded by the large and obtrusive bowling alley and the planned four storey Premier Inn on the Elizabeth Hall site. Both these buildings, built right up to the roadway, completely alter the street scene to the detriment of the seafront. Add to this, the Exmouth Splash and Exmouth seafront begins to lose its individuality and attractiveness.
The Splash proposals will inevitably lead to small local businesses having to close, tourists will pay high prices for new facilities and residents will be left with an expensive leisure area closed and empty in the winter. Yet another hotel/ holiday accommodation building will scar the landscape and put further pressure on existing hotels and bed and breakfast facilities. There is room for a water sports building as Exmouth is a centre of excellence for water sports but in a more appropriate place, where the tidal currents are less severe. Some updating might be acceptable but without destroying well loved and well used businesses such as Harbour View Cafe.
The crown jewel of Exmouth, its fantastic seafront, is being sold off by EDDC for commercial gain. What needs to happen is investment in Exmouth Town centre to encourage both large and independent retailers to open here and residents to shop here. Run down and closed buildings, endless cafes and charity shops are hardly enticing to residents or visitors. The money spent on planning the Splash could have been used to start this investment. This, along with the money raised by the raid on the Elizabeth Hall site, could benefit the town of Exmouth much more than any Exmouth Splash. Instead, money raised by selling off our seafront will undoubtedly be spent elsewhere in East Devon. Please leave our seafront alone!
I am no relation to John but i agree with everything he says. I have historic roots in Exmouth and when I first visited about 15 years ago my husband and I were dismayed at the town centre with its seedy shops and post war buildings, thrown up after the bombing. Visitors want lots of things. A brisk walk along the front, followed by a tasty coffee and cake, or a sandwich. To play on the beach with kites and footballs and perhaps to swim. To sail or windsurf around the coast knowing that there is someone watching over them. In wet weather a swim in an attractive pool with jaccuzi and fitness equipment. Attractive shelters to sit and watch the world go by. A large safe children’s play area with indoor facilities too. Do up the town so it is a pleasure to shop there for visitors and those that are going to pay for the renovations!
Leave the front alone!
I’m just wondering which existing businesses are affected by these proposed plans, as i’m struggling to find any obvious information on what businesses are potentially in line for demolition to accommodate this new ‘Splash’ development. I can’t find any clear plans listing the boundarys of this development, and i’m concerened about the potential loss of the current playpark, Railway Carriage Cafe, Mini Golf and other nearby businesses.
Whilst i am well aware certain parts of the seafront require modernisation, why does this need to be achieved by removing all these current tenants (loved by locals and tourist’s alike). I’ve been visiting the seafront from Exeter for years, and friends from further afield have always commented on what a delightfully simple and inviting area the seafront is. Why ruin what is there by running in with bulldozers to make way for an uninviting maze of glass buildings? Could a better seafront be achieved without removing the inviting, simple feel to the area? I admit it is looking run-down in places, why can’t this just be rectified rather than re-inventing the entire area?
Thank you for your comments. We agree that it’s a fine balance to judge; updating what’s there for current and future generations yet respecting what brings visitors to the area in the first place.
The boundaries of the proposed Exmouth Splash site are marked out on the exhibition boards which you can see in the window of Thomas Tucker and also online at http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/15052_121122_exmouth_splash_landscape_-_public_consultation_boards_a3_-_board.pdf
Many of the current buildings would be removed and replaced under the ‘Exmouth Splash’ plans, but we’ve worked closely with the existing businesses to help them understand the new opportunities that could be there for them in the new development if they are prepared to invest.
If you have a few minutes please do visit http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/exmouthsplash and add your thoughts to the main consultation questionnaire.
Existing businesses might be able to understand the new opportunities that will be available to them but no doubt these will be at a price that few local, small businesses will be able to afford. I often see possibilities for my own life but usually these are out of my financial reach
Oh Please!!!!!!!.
Is there no one out there that actually wants to see Exmouth move forward, we need to plan for the future, not remain stagnant, as we have for so many years.
I doubt future generations will thank us if we leave things as they are.
I have lived in this area all my life and love Exmouth, not only as it is but for what it has the potential to become.
I have no desire to see it fall into decay, as it undoubtedly will do if we do not let people with vision move it forward.
Perhaps I can offer a view from someone who only moved to the town less than 3 years ago. One of the main reasons that I chose Exmouth is the wonderful borders that surround the town. To the west we have one of the most beautiful estuaries in England, with its bountiful wildlife. To the north we have the large expanse of Woodbury Common, a walker’s paradise. To the south a magnificent seafront, and unlike nearly all other urban seafronts in the South West, Exmouth has a wonderful expanse of grounds between the seafront and the town itself. I would describe the seafront as understated (rather than over developed) and that to me is its beauty. (Sidmouth and Lyme Regis may be nice, but I bet all their residents would swap their seafront for ours anyday!).
What don’t I like about Exmouth?……………the town centre!! But perhaps that is because I do not have a passion for a town that can only offer cafes, charity shops, taxis and a dull and outdated shopping centre.
So what is the grand plan? Rejuvenate the town centre? No, over develop our beautiful seafront and forget the town centre. Has a survey been undertaken as to what the tourists visiting our town like about the place? I cannot believe it is the allure of the Magnolia Centre!
Clearly a decision has already been made to create the “Exmouth Splash” in conjunction with private developers and no matter what the response is from the residents of Exmouth that is not going to change. Councils are under enormous pressure from central government to dispose of assets wherever possible. So residents’ views may affect some detail, but definitely not the principle.
Yes, development of watersports is a clear must. Exmouth has such an enormous seafront that this can easily be accommodated, and should be. But what is wrong with the current boating park, crazy golf, kids climbing area, trampolines, etc,etc? For goodness sake leave it alone……………………walk over the Beacon………………….and look at the town centre!!
(P.S. Why not keep the Coastguard Tower? As the watersports develop, we could (as with the grouse season) put days in the calendar when we can use it to shoot Jetskiers? Just a thought, but probably quite a popular one with those that enjoy our seafront).
Thanks for your views. If you have a few minutes please do visit http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/exmouthsplash and add these thoughts to the main consultation questionnaire
Thanks for your views. If you have a few minutes please do visit http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/exmouthsplash and add these thoughts to the main consultation questionnaire
The actions of the EDDC confuse me greatly. Despite claiming to have the interest of the area in their hearts, they seem to be selectively deaf when listening to the protestations of local residents. Why would we want to have two new children’s areas/fun parks? There are already great facilities close to the beach that have been part of the town for many years. As for placing a two storey cafe next to the beach, why do we need to yet again spoil the natural beauty of the area? Building shops seems to be a pointless exercise in my opinion, turning an already dreary and dismal shopping area (the magnolia centre) into an even more lifeless husk. A beach is an area of natural beauty that should be enjoyed for what it is, not used as a commercial body that the parasitic council can use to suck the life out of the town.
Instead of developing the sea front, we could invest more money into the town centre, a place designed for shopping.
Or why don’t we adjust the way in which the town centre is viewed as a shopping centre, and encourage the development of independent community serving local shops instead of falling foul of the greed of our council representatives by choosing to approve plans for the location of chain stores which jeopardise the long term activity of the town centre as an attractive and thriving area.
The location of the premier inn represents another example of the council and its out-of-touch nature.
Thank you for your views. It’s hard to be selectively deaf when proposals have been put forward for public comment for the first time. Councillors will want to reflect on all comments received once the consultation finishes on 14 January.
Thank you for your reply on occupancy rates. So we rely on market forces to fill Premier Inn beds. OK, where do you think that Premier Inn see those customers coming from? Possibly by undercutting our existing, long standing hotels and B&Bs until they go out of business whereupon Premier Inn will no doubt revisit their pricing policy for Exmouth. Would it not be preferable for you to adopt a policy of only permitting development where there is a clearly identifiable need? At the very least, don’t permit any further new hotels until you’re sure the Premier Inn project is going to succeed.
EDDC say “Let us know what you think” so, some thoughts that arise from an initial look at the EDDC ‘nonsultation’ document.
1. Why are we having a water sports hub directly opposite the most dangerous area of the waterfront, an area where red signs warn the public not to enter the water because of the dangerous currents? This isn’t a simple retail and land based hub, EDDC talk in terms of it providing hiring and training which must involve accessing the water here.
2. You need to check the small print to realise that there could well be a multi story car park on the area shown as a neat little single level parking area.(the mention of the possibility must mean it is on the cards)
3. Why so many retail outfits? There have been problems letting the outlets at the supposed bowling alley and EDDC want more on the seafront. Can they be for anything other than more general retail outlets_ and what is that going to do for the town centre that is already struggling?
4.Not much provision for public toilets- maybe they will remain as is, or maybe they will be refurbished. Not good enough.
5. Is the potential pay to enter area (that awful pink bit) going to be fenced off from the pavement alongside the beach, or is the whole lot going to be a pay to enter area. 6.Are we going to have to pay to walk alongside the beach which we can now, and always have done, for free. Is this the first step in making beaches private access only as in parts of Italy?
7. Why isn’t the drawing more specific on this (6 above) and many other issues. It is a pathetic basis for seeking informed opinion.
8. Why is there no diagram showing how the road might end up? Squeezing it in between these developments will create the most absurd bottleneck imaginable- maybe I have answered my own question.
9. Point to note. EDDC says that there is likely to be a public consultation by Premier Inn on their formal planning application (Clearly a few more meetings with them have been taking place)
10. EDDC says that in the course of the consultation, the leaflet and questionnaires will be sent out to 1,000 randomly selected households throughout Exmouth to get their comments. This is a departure from standard EDDC practice. Could it be related to the fact that when I questioned EDDC the methodology and validity on the last consultation, the reply they gave was effectively rubbished by the Audit commission? Could it be that they took notice when I said , at an EDDC meeting, that they didn’t know the difference between ‘randomly selected’ and ‘self -selecting’ and all that that implied? COULD IT MEAN THAT THEY REALISE THAT THE LAST CONSULTATION WAS PLAINLY BOGUS?
11. A word of advice to EDDC on consultations. Sending out 1,000 forms to randomly selected residents is but one of many important elements of carrying out a genuine consultation. You don’t seem to have appreciated that and have not taken on board the other requirements for a genuine consultation.
12. Hands up those who thought the original consultation gave the go-ahead from us for TWO new hotels on the seafront?
13. How are people going to get from the car park(s) safely to the facilities across a main road? Crossing a twisty diversion, which will likely be a major traffic jam creator with frustrated road users, is likely to be a dangerous business. Designing it for slower speeds means more frustration and more danger.
14. The (second) hotel or holiday accommodation for visitors is going to be how high? How much of a view will this (and the Premier Inn) take away.
15. Why haven’t EDDC included an alternate plan, the one the present owner of the much loved existing amusement park, wanted permission and a decent lease for?
16.Remember that EDDC bought up covenants- without telling us they intended to do so, and that those covenants gave us rights to enjoy the seaside here . They also placed severe restrictions on what could be built, on the reasonable assumption that without such protections, someone could come along and ruin the place. If this is what we have asked EDDC for, why didn’t they tell us about the covenants. This is about making money for EDDC and friends, abut selling off the silver.
1. The Water Sports hub is to facilitate sporting activity such as kite surfing, not bathing.
2. This point is in the same-sized print as everything else. We have been quite open about the possibility.
3. We anticipate these would be retail units closely connected with leisure and recreation. In other words, not a general food store (for example).
5. Area 3a is envisaged as a pay-to-enter attraction. The walkway directly by the beach will be open for all to use.
6. No and No.
7. It’s hard to anticipate every question that will be raised. We’re happy to provide further clarity, as in this case.
8. The road will be designed to highway authority standards and be no narrower than it is now.
10. Three questions here:
i) No it isn’t and no it wasn’t.
ii) Thank you for your helpful observation.
iii) No it wasn’t.
13. Yes, safety is a very important consideration here. We will be working on detailed measures with County Highways engineers.
14. The hotel or holiday accommodation scheme will be no higher than three stories.
15. This is the plan put forward by the Council after considering a number of alternatives. We wanted people to be clear what we thought would work well, and then ask for views.
16. The covenants actually covered a very small proportion of the seafront. In the sense that we’re being crystal clear that we need to raise money from sale or lease of land here to pay for the road to be moved, you’re right.
A series of key sites will be coming to the market over the coming years that will kick-start the Exmouth waterfront vision
Redevelopment must respond positively to its relationship with the green slopes and the Beacon behind. The setting of the Beacon must be respected particularly in views and vistas along the seafront, from the beach and from the estuary / sea. The primary use in this area should be active and have public access as this is a key site with the Beach Hub and a meeting point. Uses should contribute to the diversity of activities within the Beach Hub and wider town and demonstrate Exmouth’s self-confidence and vision for the future.
The above are extracts from the Elizabeth Hall section on the front page of this site.
Please tell us which key sites will be coming to market , and when.
Will you please start to construct sentences in plain and proper English as requested elsewhere on this site , and NOT planning jargon which is totally unnecessary and , I think, is designed to mask any multitude of options …
It is not specific. It needs to be specific!
The Beacon, iconic though it is, is just part of the skyline of Exmouth when viewed from the beach, or a boat, or from Dawlish Warren.
Are Louisa Terrace and Trefusis Terrace excluded from your “vision” or are they invisible? A potential second hotel to the East of the bowling alley might raise a few eyebrows and responses from residents living behind the gun field.
Exmothians have a right to know what’s going on, and you have a responsibility to tell us …. Dare I say , the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth ! ..Is that too much to ask?
I have just seen these nebulous designs for the first time. My first thought is why do you think that we need yet another hotel on the seafront, in addition presumably, to the Premier Inn? Have you any information as to occupancy rates of current beds in Exmouth? Is there any evidence at all that Exmouth is regularly “full up” and so really needs more beds?
I’m sure more questions will occur to me once I’ve absorbed such details as you have provided, but I’d be grateful for answers to my questions about current bed occupancy please.
Sorry, we don’t have figures on hotel occupancy rates. But perhaps the point is this: if a hotel operator goes to the trouble of developing then they must know their business and think they will secure the occupancy. In other words, market forces will determine what works at the site, within an agreed planning framework.
When ever we were invited to those early Exmouth vision seminars we were always given an outlying plan as to what shape the sea front would possibly look like.
We were never told what would be needed by the council to achieve these aim’s.
I can not remember any reference made to selling Elizabeth Hall or other sites.
In fact all the information on an Estuary Supermarket and Mamhead was very vague.
So please do not give the impression that EDDC has worked with Exmouth Town council for all these new facilities, at the same time you tell us you are spending £700,000 of council money on those improvements you are planning.
So please be a little more open and tell us what Exmouth must sell before you can be certain these things can be completed, as your 7OO,OOO pounds will not go very far.
Hello. So what you are saying is that the photographs, originals, taken up to about 1940, are wrong! It has been altered drastically inside, and indeed I have no photographs of the inside. There are also local newspaper photographs which I was sent by an Exmouth resident which are also wrong?
I note with alarm the item ‘redevelopment of Harbour View Cafe’.
Get rid of the cafe by all means but not the building! I was dismayed to see a sleasy cafe situated in a building that has so much history to it. The Old Yacht Club and Watch Tower should be’ listed’. I have many photos of the Old Yacht Club as my great grandfather lived in it until his early death in 1902. He turned it into a magnificent house, the envy of many at the time with the most fantastic views. His five youngest children lived there with his wife after moving from Ebor Lodge, to which he had attached the house at the side.
He was an entrepreneur from Tyneside, who having developed an Ice Factory on the Tyne for the fishing fleet, retired at 50 to the wonderful climate of Exmouth. He developed a large bathing hut on rails because the previous huts got stuck in the soft sand. I have photos. The rails were uncovered some years ago by a storm and removed! More photos are available. He also opened the Salt Water Baths and built a machine to fill and empty the tanks with the tide. I believe these are still under Harbour View Bungalow, as it used to be called. Post cards of ladies in Edwardian dress promenading around the Baths were made and Francis Frith took photos of the Old Yacht Club.
I understand that during the War, the building was used as an assembly point for ‘Dad’s Army’.
Why not get someone more qualified than me to research the full history of the building. ( I did most of my research from a distance.) As it is in such a prominent place why not make it The Information Centre? The Lookout could be part of a centre for visitors to admire the fantastic views. Install telescopes. It could be turned into a smart restaurant/ tea room or a Museum of the Area. A great uncle of mine visited it in 1948 from Canada when it was a tea room. He still remembers it.
The improvements to the Exmouth front are good, but please let us have a mixture of old and new, not turn a lovely seaside town into a glass and concrete jungle. There are some lovely old buildings in the town which were not demolished in the War, do you intend getting rid of all of those?
The building as it stands now has been altered dramatically since 1902 and apart from the Tower is nothing like the original Yacht Club or Harbour View Bungalow. No decisions have been made on how the building may be redeveloped. The watchtower is not large enough for visitors – it has only a 10 sq metre footprint.
On your last point, these plans concern the area of Queen’s Drive between the old lifeboat station and the very western edge of The Maer, not any other part of the town.
Pedestrian Signage: I’ve been trying for over 3 years to get the town council to improve the signage in Exmouth for the benefit of visitors. I did a survey of the fingerposts a while back and found that every one had at least one finger pointing in the wrong direction! When I emailed the councillors with responsibility for the town centre I didn’t get a reply.
There are no correct signs to the re-sited Tourist Information Centre and no signs at all in The Strand. About a year ago some signs appeared in the Manor Gardens. I believe that EDDC erected these. The signs are pleasant and helpful to visitors but there is no stylistic coordination with all the other signs in Exmouth. (The previous town clerk knew nothing about the signs until I mentioned it to him) Is it possible to get the councils to work together on this issue and to get proper professional advice about the style of sign that is appropriate? I note for example that the black painted fingerposts are hard to see from a distance whereas the pale blue ones are more visible. I can’t understand why a facility that is so essential to visitors is not being dealt with as a matter of urgency.
We recognise that signage is one of the projects indicated in the Masterplan that needs initiating. The different ‘owners’ of the signage in the Town Centre and Seafront does mean the project is more complex than at first seems – but we are aware of the issues and are trying to work with the Town Council to find a solution.
I do not believe that EDDC has it within its power to sell off the Elizabeth Hall site.
The site was left to the people of Exmouth in perpetuity as I understand it and this appears to be local public knowledge , but not as far East as the Knowle!
Who has decided that the EDDC has the legal right to overrule such a gift ?
The land was not given to the community; the land and buildings were sold by the Rolle family to the Urban District Council of Exmouth on 30th June 1958 as a ‘Gentlemen’s Club’ for the sum of £7350 . The sellers were a Mr John Daw, Mr David Geidt and Mr Walter Steinr.
EDDC assumed ownership when the Urban DC merged into EDDC in 1973. The Clinton Devon Estates released the restrictive covenants on all of the seafront in May 2010, with a release fee of £50,000 paid to Clinton Devon Estates at that time.
Let us be in no doubt that the only reason EDDC paid £50,000- to Clinton Devon Estates ( a member of East Devon Business Forum ) plus legal fees of perhaps £10,000, was to release EDDC from covenants that gave the people of Exmouth some protection from over development, and rights to peaceful relocation and enjoyment of the area. Why else would EDDC spend so much of our money buying the covenants out? Remember to that they did it in secret effective on 12th May 2010. Of course, the idea must have come up a long way before that effective date and thus well before any of the ‘nonsultations’ that followed. What is that if it isn’t proof that EDDC consultations follow decisions being made. The proof of a valid consultation is that things change after to reflect what the public has said-except in EDDC’s case nothing of significance changes. Copies of the Covenant can be seen at http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/details_of_50000_council_spent_b#outgoing-228806 – but you still won’t be able to see the map that is needed to interpret the document because EDDC have repeatedly failed to provide it in accordance with Freedom of Information Act requirements.
What’s the betting this comment gets removed?
Well, your comment wasn’t removed. Let us be in no doubt that EDDC paid to have the seafront covenants lifted following an approach to the Council from a third-party which had nothing to do with Elizabeth Hall. It was considered prudent to pay just once to have the covenants lifted rather than risk incurring similar legal costs each time we were challenged.
Please clarify ‘an approach to the council from a third party’. If my memory serves me correctly the review of the covenants took place as a result of the council realising they couldn’t honour a promise to a business owner previously located on the bowling alley site.
We were not proactive in seeking to remove the covenants. A third-party approached us looking to develop land near to The Pavilion that was covered by the covenants. As it happened, that third-party did not progress with their final plans.
Are you referring to the proposed wind surf shop building? Because if you are that opportunity was offered to the applicant to compensate them for having to leave their former premises in the old swimming pool building. Only once they had vacated was the issue of the covenants raised.
Yes, we are referring to the proposal of the wind surf shop, but I’m afraid it was never ‘offered’ to the applicant as you suggest. It was only when the planning application for the building came forward that the historical covenants were looked at in any detail.
I am sure that as reported consistently over the period of closure before demolition it was stated on a number of occasions that Waterfront Sports (is that correct) had been offered an alternative site on the seafront. So while it may be true that the covenants were not thought about until the application was submitted, I am sure that the site was offered before this. Perhaps some independent clarification is in order.
Could you guys just cut all the fine words about vision, and improvement, and making the town more attractive? If you want to build tacky cheap hotels and supermarkets in prime locations, just say so, and cut out the pretence you’re being visionary. We’ll judge you by your actions, not your words.
I agree Michael. If only they had the balls to allege that we elected them and they will decide want they will do then I might have some grudging respect for them. All these lies about this is being done to meet our requests is sheer bl… nonsense.
Is the proposal for a linking footpath from Mear rd carpark, alongside the Littleham brook, to Littleham still being actively considered?
This remains part of the Masterplan – it will need the involvement of the various landowners to take forward.