The future of Exmouth seafront is one step closer to being decided.

The current plans to redevelop Exmouth seafront include a high quality waterfront restaurant, an 80 bedroom hotel, as well as an area for play and leisure uses, and back in February, the cabinet agreed to launch a marketing exercise.

But the decision was called-in and the council's scrutiny committee in March agreed that a panel agreeing the selection criteria for marketing it to developers was not properly balanced.

East Devon District Council on Thursday night unanimously backed that the recommendation and sent it back to the cabinet to make the final decision when they next meet.

But following the formation of a new administration and the coronavirus pandemic having occurred since the original decision over the seafront was taken back in February, the council has already said that they will 're-engage with a new consensus' for how best to proceed with the Queen's Drive site.

Henry Gordon Lennox, the council's strategic lead for governance, told Thursday night's virtual meeting that things had changed since the debate initially took place pre-lockdown and said that cabinet will be looking at the issue of Queen's Drive soon anyway. He added: "I recommend that this is fed back to cabinet, where it will need to go anyway, in their future consideration of the matter."

The next cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place on September 30, when it is expected the Queen's Drive issue will be on the agenda.

An East Devon District Council spokesman, when asked to clarify the latest on the phase 3 proposals, had previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The Council now has a new administration. Combined with the economic impact of Covid-19 and our departure from the EU the opportunity will be taken this Autumn to reflect upon the proposals and ambitions for the Queen's Drive area and re-engage with a new consensus for how might be the best way of progressing matters."

The attractions currently on the Queen's Drive space – the replacement for the former Fun Park – only have planning permission to stay on the site until March 2022, with no further extension allowed under planning law unless they were made permanent as two temporary permissions have already been granted.

Phase 1 of the Exmouth seafront project – the realigning of the Queen's Drive road – has been complete, while Phase 2, the watersports centre, is now set to open in the Autumn following delays in the completion phase due to the coronavirus pandemic.