Temporary uses of Queen's Drive event space a 'success' - but now the council is looking long-term

Nearly ten years after redevelopment plans for Exmouth seafront were first put forward, a longer term vision for the site that will 'delight visitors' will come forward 'shortly'.

It was back in 2012 when plans to redevelop the area between the old lifeboat station and the Maer first came forward, with the intervening period seeing several iterations of the plans not coming to fruition – with the scheme being referred to as 'Exmouth's Brexit'.

While phase 1 – the relocation of the Queen's Drive road – and phase 2 – the watersports centre – have been completed and are open, phase 3, the longer term vision for the site, remains in doubt.

Planning permission for the redevelopment of a 3.6-hectare swathe of Queen's Drive has been granted, 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 – only have planning permission to stay on the site until March 2022, with no further extension allowed under planning law likely.

Over the last nine months, the focus has been on the temporary uses for this season at Queen's Drive Space, which are proving a big success, the council says, but now, they are once again turning their attention to the longer term vision.

Plans for the longer term future will come forward to the Queen's Drive Delivery Group at their next meeting in September and they will consider uses for the area next season and in particular the planning implications of this.

Cllr Nick Hookway, chair of the Queen's Drive Delivery Group said: "The Queen's Drive Delivery Group has listened to a wide range of opinions from Exmouth residents concerning the future development of the phase three site. The implications of social distancing on outdoor attractions have also been addressed.

"The Queens Drive Delivery Group considers that the phase 3 site offers great potential for a range of attractions that will delight visitors. Plans will be shortly considered on what attractions can be put in place to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022."

Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of the council, added: "Since taking over the administration a year ago we have placed Exmouth seafront and town at the centre of our efforts. We have tried hard to maximise councillor and public engagement and having sorted out Summer 2021 our focus will turn to the long-term.

"The seafront has been a divisive issue for the community, and we are determined to proceed with consensus and with respect for local views."

Additional funding for a staffing resource to support the phase 3 project and other place-based projects in Exmouth over the next two years has been agreed with recruitment for these posts to follow shortly.

"Once these staff are in place they will be building on the initial work that has been undertaken in recent months on the Levelling-Up bid working with key stakeholders in Exmouth," a council spokesman said.

They added: "The Queen's Drive Delivery Group which for the past nine months has met in public is next meeting in September and will consider uses for the area next season and in particular the planning implications of this."

The history of Queen's Drive

In 2012, plans to redevelop the area between the old lifeboat station and the Maer, known as the Splash Zone, formed part of the Exmouth Masterplan which sets out future regeneration in the town.

The controversial plans divided opinion in the town in 2013 when more than 500 people completed questionnaires about the authority's intention to redevelop the area between the old lifeboat station and the Maer, known as the Splash Zone.

When asked for a general opinion, 52 per cent of respondents of the questionnaires were in favour of the overall proposals with 41 per cent against. The remaining seven per cent did not express a preference.

In December 2013, East Devon District Council's Development Management Committee gave the go-ahead for the development of the Queen's Drive area in Exmouth.

The outline permission includes the realignment of the road to give easier access to the beach and stunning views from the proposed new watersports hub, cafe and public open space.

East Devon District Council were then working with Moirai Capital Investments of Bournemouth to put forward proposals to "breathe new life into the nine acre council-owned seafront site at Queen's Drive with a range of exciting leisure facilities".

The detailed plans included luxury flats, shops, eateries, a multi-screen cinema and a new Harbour View Café and coastwatch tower.

At the same time, a new action group was launched to 'save' Exmouth seafront from developers, with Save Exmouth Seafront concerned that the £18m redevelopment would mean some of the town's oldest most popular businesses closing.

In October 2015, the Carriage Café on the seafront left the town. It had been open for nearly 50 years and the restored 1956 carriage business' closing brought an end to an era for residents.

At around the same time, more than 1,000 residents and visitors took part in the Exmouth Seafront Survey, initiated by Cllr Megan Armstrong. Led by author and analyst Louise MacAllister, the survey aimed to discover if plans for a multi-screen cinema, outdoor water splash zone and adventure golf park were wanted by those who would be using the facilities.

Organisers said the survey showed 95 per cent were against the redevelopment, it showed widespread support for the businesses at the time occupying the seafront and that many Exmouth residents felt their concerns regarding the plans had been ignored.

In April 2016, Exmouth residents went to the polls, and around 95 per cent of those who turned out to vote want more consultation on multi million-pound plans for Queen's Drive. Called by concerned residents, the parish poll saw 4,754 people – 17.8 per cent of the electorate – take part.

The summer of 2016 saw Moirai Capital Investments sacked as the developer due to the length of time it had taken for them to bring more plans.

September 2016 saw the Jungle Fun attraction and Arnold Palmer Putting Course closed for the last time. Hours earlier, locals and tourists had flocked to the attraction for one last round. The crazy golf course was established around 40 years ago.

In November 2016, campaigners in Exmouth staged a protest march calling for further consultation on controversial seafront redevelopment plans. The Save Exmouth Seafront protesters set off from the lorry park in Marine Way and marched through Imperial Road, The Strand and Alexandra Terrace before finishing on the seafront.

April 2017 saw the reserved matters application for the seafront redevelopment approved. It meant the council could now go ahead and build the £18million redevelopment of a 3.6-hectare swathe of Queen's Drive, but had no plans to do so. Had the application been rejected, it would have meant the outline permission for redevelopment would have no longer been extant and sent the project back to the drawing board.

The Fun Park, run by the Wright family, closed after more than 40 years at the end of August 2017, with a vigil held and floral tributes presented.

A last gasp bid to reprieve the Fun Park from closure failed two weeks later, when East Devon councillors voted 26 to 21 against extending the lease of the Fun Park. The contents of the Fun Park were auctioned off the following day.

The Harbour View Café was also due to close at the same time, but has seen its lease extended.

October 2017 saw Grenadier reveal their plans for the watersports centre, before submitting the formal planning application in February 2018, which was then approved in June 2018 by eight votes to five, with a full opening taking place in the earl part of 2021.

The temporary attractions for the seafront at the Queen's Drive Space, which include the food and drink area and the dinosaur-themed play park opened in May 2018, having been given planning permission in March 2018.

Permission was initially granted for one year, followed by a second permission for a further three years. That expires in March 2022, and the council will not be able to apply for any further temporary use.

Work began at the end of 2018 to realign the Queen's Drive road, which was completed in June 2019, although questions have been raised about where the funding for the road, which East Devon District Council paid for, actually came from.

At the end of 2019, HemingwayDesign and Lambert Smith Hampton submitted their vision for phase 3 for Exmouth Seafront to East Devon District Council.

The suggested uses for the site include a new two storey café/restaurant on the existing Harbour View Café site to the south of Queen's Drive, a mix of playspace (including free play) and open public space on the remainder of the site, and an 60–80 bed 3–4 star hotel of high design quality.

East Devon District Council's cabinet, when they met on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, agreed to launch a formal marketing exercise to identify developer/operator partners for the Queen's Drive site, with a final decision on what to take forward set to be made in July.

But the council's scrutiny committee then unanimously agreed that the panel for the purpose of agreeing the selection criteria for the commercial development was not properly balanced, and expressed their anger at how they felt Exmouth residents were not being listened to.

That process was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and a change of administration, in August, full council accepted that recommendation and sent it back to cabinet, who are now able to make the decision they wish over the future of Queen's Drive, although as of yet, no firm plans have come forward.

At a meeting of the Queen's Drive Delivery Group last October, Tim Child, senior property & estates manager, said that it was not usual for a temporary permission to be renewed for a third time unless there are exceptional circumstances regarding why a permanent planning solution cannot be brought forward for the site with a detailed planning application, adding: "If it is not permissible to pursue a further temporary planning application, the council needs to consider what it will do with the site from March 2022 when the site has to close."

That meeting saw councillors agree and express a desire to 'Get Seafront Done', as Cllr Joe Whibley put it, but that as Exmouth is the biggest town in East Devon, it was critically important to the economy and the reputation of the council that they do the right thing and get a scheme that is both popular with the residents and viable in the long term.

While subsequent meetings of the Queen's Drive Delivery Group have taken place, none have seen the longer term future of Queen's Drive and Phase 3 discussed in any detail. Their next meeting is scheduled for July 13, with the following meeting on September 7, with the council saying the latter is likely to be when future plans will be discussed.

The ultimate decision over what happens with Phase 3 will lie with the council's cabinet, as under the council's constitution, it falls within their remit rather than that of full council.