Council to turf out Exmouth ‘vanlifers’

People living in motorhomes will no longer be able to stay at a lorry park in Exmouth.

Sea defence work at the estuary car park finished in 2021, and since then people known as 'vanlifers' have been living there. At the moment, around 15 people occupy the facility on a typical day and more recently, 23 motorhomes were at the car park, although some may have just parked up for the day.

Four years ago, the council banned motorhomes from staying on Exmouth seafront overnight and encouraged them into selective car parks.

However, East Devon District Council's (EDDC) cabinet decided on Wednesday (1 March) to move the vanlifers on from Saturday 1 July.

Last year, East Devon District Council said it would try and find alternative places for the vanlifers to go when the car park is returned to its original use, but no solution has yet been found.

Cllr Joe Whibley (Independent, Exmouth Town) urged the council to continue helping people living in motorhomes find somewhere else to stay, as the current economy could mean more people take to the lifestyle.

"As the cost of living continues to mount, more and more people will choose – or more likely be forced – into this lifestyle," he said. "It's currently cheaper to sit in a coffee shop and drink expensive coffee all day than it is to sit in your own house and heat it."

"Although we have no legal obligation to give them a space, we do have a moral one," he added.

Cllr Jack Rowland (Independent East Devon Alliance) revealed that no landowners had come forward to offer vanlifers places to park and stay.

"We've also looked at whether any private landowners would be willing to provide a solution on this particular issue," he explained. "And that hasn't produced any results either.

"I don't want to put any words in the mouths of any of the vanlifers, but they probably did realise right from the start, when they started using the area, this was only a temporary arrangement….because of the work that was being carried out at the estuary at the time.

"I've got a great deal of empathy for the situation people find themselves in, but we are bound by the issues we face."

The vanlifers were going to be asked to move at the end of this month, but Cllr John Loudoun (Independent East Devon Alliance, Sidmouth Rural) reasoned that they should be allowed more than just a month's notice.

Cllr Bruce de Saram (Conservative, Exmouth Littleham) suggested Foxholes car park near Exmouth seafront could be expanded to provide room for motorhomes.

"I would hope that, when we look at what we can do as facilities for people, we can look to expand this campervan facility for Foxholes, thus improving residents' lives and generating a stream of revenue within the district," he said.

But expanding Foxholes by July is "unrealistic" in the eyes of Cllr Nick Hookway (Independent East Devon Alliance, Littleham) who puts the blame on central government.

"We have a housing crisis across this country which is being perpetuated by the present government, who are apparently quite happy to wash their hands of the situation," he said.

Cllr Dan Ledger (Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton) wondered whether people could move from one location to another every three days, which is the current limit for parking in EDDC car parks.

It was agreed that Exmouth's vanlifers at the estuary car park will have to move on at the end of June.