A former Exmouth seafront car park is to be grassed over and used for outdoor fitness activities as part of the temporary attractions for 2021.

The temporary car park built in 2019, with about 50 spaces, was on land off Queen's Drive, part of which had previously been used for the Railway Carriage Café.

East Devon councillors had already decided that it should return to its previous leisure use after the temporary planning permission ran out last year, and on Monday, January 25, they backed plans to use it for low-key fitness.

The Exmouth Queen's Drive Delivery Group also agreed that the food and drink traders operating at the Queen's Drive Space – the replacement for the former Fun Park – should be given the opportunity to return this year, since their 2020 summer season had been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The existing attractions, including the dinosaur-themed play park, will remain on site for this summer.

Councillors also agreed to enable community organisations to deliver events rather than the council managing events in-house.

New grassed area will be good for health and wellbeing

Tim Child, Service Lead – Place, Assets & Commercialisation, said: "In terms of temporary uses for the car park land, for next season or two, the favoured uses relate to low-key fitness type uses. The rationale for this being that it would fit well with the council's Health and Wellbeing Agenda, and is consistent with themes in the Council Plan.

"It supports Covid recovery for small businesses and would provide much-needed wellbeing opportunities for the community, would not compete with businesses in the vicinity, contributes to the tourism agenda and Exmouth as a destination in providing additional activities, would provide a range of activities across the age bands, and we know through the Events Team that there's ample demand."

He said that while the costs of laying grass and installing fencing were 'not insignificant', around £30,000 to £40,000, the costs will be less compared to those that would be incurred by providing many other types of surfaces for different uses.

Cllr Joe Whibley said that progressing with the proposal would be a statement of intent of returning it to what it was meant to be in community lands. He said: "People might have the perception that we are not thinking big and may have the opportunity to do more, but given the initial use, it is turning the paved area green as we are investing in green space. It is a real statement of intent of what the space was originally meant to be, community land."

Cllr Chris Wright added: "By grassing the area, it can be managed through the events team. It is a difficult situation for anyone in the leisure businesses to know what will happen, and if we grass it, in becomes an informal open space, even if we don't manage it.

"The area to the rear is aimed more at the community and when people get to the site for an event. The piece at the front is aimed at passers-by. We are where we are and the summer will be difficult, but now is the time to get on with it."

Cllr Steve Gazzard added: "We have to move forward on this or we will be talking about this forever. We have to think that things will get better and we have to bite the bullet on this and get it started and hope that come Easter, people will come to. It will be a huge investment in Exmouth and give them a wonderful experience when they come."

The Queen's Drive Delivery Group unanimously recommended to cabinet, where the final decision will be made, that the temporary uses for 2021 on the Queen's Drive Space remain as they currently are, and that the traders be given the opportunity to return for 2021.

They also recommended by eight votes to none, with three abstentions, that a temporary planning application be submitted for up to two years on the former car park site to enable the area to be grassed, with seed or turf, and used for fitness activities, and that the seeding work should commence when suitable, rather than waiting for the full planning permission to be granted, applying retrospectively if necessary.

What stage is the Queen's Drive Project at now?

Phase 1 of the overall Queen's Drive project – the realignment of the road and the car park – has been completed, and phase 2 – the new watersports centre – is on the verge of completion and should be fully open early in 2021, but the long-term use of final phase of the regeneration remains unclear.

Planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment of a 3.6-hectare swathe of Queen's Drive, and has been implemented, the council say, with the realignment of the road.

But the attractions currently on the Queen's Drive Space – the replacement for the former Fun Park – have planning permission to stay on the site only until March 2022, with no further extension likely to be allowed under planning law.

The Queen's Drive Delivery Group also recommended to cabinet that up to £200,000 be made available from the Business Rates Pilot Reserve to fund a Development Surveyor and an Engagement / Project Officer for two years, dedicated to moving forward various place and prosperity based projects in Exmouth, including Queen's Drive.

Further discussions around the long-term use for the Queen's Drive Space will be debated by the Group later this year.