Exmouth's Queen's Drive Space to get spruce-up with leftover EU money

Exmouth's Queen's Drive is to be spruced up over the next month with new picnic benches and lights as well as repair works to sun shelters.

New bike racks and gates may also be put in if there is enough time to organise the works.

The investment will paid for by money East Devon District Council (EDDC) has left from the EU's European Regional Development Fund.

The UK government received £56 million from the kitty, some of which it paid to councils as part of a 'Welcome Back Fund' to help local authorities recover from the pandemic.

The Queen's Drive updates must be paid by the end of March otherwise the council will lose the money.

It forms a continuation of work done last year which saw the boardwalks, staging and some badly rotten seating replaced.

The seating areas in better condition were left in, but a year on they are now in a poor state and need to be replaced. The new benches will be made of recycled composite which will last longer and require less maintenance than the old timber seating.

Speaking at a meeting of the Exmouth Queen's Drive delivery group at EDDC, a council officer said the area's light bulbs "are all full of water, basically" and need to be replaced. The new lights will be more energy efficient.

The sun shelters will be repaired and tidied up. Parts of Queen's Drive will also receive a fresh lick of paint.