Exmouth seafront hospitality area to keep to lockdown rules

Councillors worried they'd fine people using their own service

Exmouth's Queen’s Drive Space is set to reopen for the summer from April 12, in line with the roadmap out of lockdown, despite calls from the town's mayor for the date to be brought forward.

Cllr Steve Gazzard (Liberal Democrat) later withdrew his appeal - "against his better judgement" he said - after concerns about the legal position.

The spectre of East Devon council opening the food and drink concessions and then fining people for eating and drinking put paid to the idea.

A group of East Devon councillors on a committee called the Exmouth Queen's Drive Delivery Group has addressed the forthcoming reopening of the hospitality section of the space. The children's play area is already open.

Cllr Gazzard originally asked for hospitality to reopen at the start of the Easter holidays, saying: “I understand the issues around covid, but is there a possibility they can open up without the need for tables and chairs, as the play park will be open and parents will be looking to get refreshments for themselves and children somewhere.”

Government guidelines will allow people to meet a restricted number of others outdoors for refreshments, including sitting down.

But Cllr Chris Wright (Independent) said that while the operators could offer a takeaway service before 12 April, it would be difficult to do so within the regulations as anyone buying food and drink would not be able to consume them at the site.

He said: “We need to abide by the guidelines that it is takeaway only and we don’t create a problem and conflict between people using seating there or taking their own seating, so we would have to make sure we don’t fall foul on the regulations of those staying on site from where they are purchased the goods.

“It is incredibly difficult to stop someone from sitting on the ground. If we proceed to do this before that date, we will have a real battle on our hands with the general public.”

Cllr Paul Hayward (East Devon Alliance), the council’s portfolio holder for economy and assets, added that with the council having just employed two covid-compliance officers, the embarrassment of them going along Queen’s Drive and have potentially having to fine East Devon District Council if people were sitting on the site with food and drink they had purchased prior to the 12 April lockdown relaxation ‘doesn’t bare thinking about’.

He added: “We have to do all we can to follow the rules and we wouldn’t want to encourage anything or anyone to break the covid rules. If we now bring it forward, it is a suddenly a huge task for the officers and moves the goal posts and they have to do things twice as fast.

“While opening for takeaway at Easter is appealing, people will sit on the grass verges and the sand and will be creating the problem the roadmap is designed to present.”

Cllr Gazzard said that despite his better judgement, he would withdraw his proposal to bring forward the opening date from 12 April to ensure the council hasn’t put at any risk.

The meeting also heard from Angela Gordon Lennox, the council’s events officer, that they were working with three event organisers who have expressed an interest in hiring the Queen’s Drive Event Space for the forthcoming season.

Councillors also heard that it was likely to be July before the outdoor fitness uses on the former and temporary overflow car park site would begin, and that they also agreed to resubmit a temporary planning application for continued uses of the small car park behind the former lifeboat station.

The attractions at Queen’s Drive, which replaced a former fun park,  have planning permission until March 2022.