Exmouth Seafront regeneration: phase 3 revealed today

It includes plans for Queen's Drive and the Harbour View Cafe.

HemingwayDesign’s proposals, based on the Exmouth masterplan, the Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan, and the results of surveys carried out last summer, will be made public at two events.

The exhibition materials will be on show at a public drop-in at LED Ocean on Wednesday, November 13, from 12pm to 4.30pm.

Then on Thursday, November 14, at the Ocean Suite, a public exhibition will take place where Hemingway Design will present their vision.

HemingwayDesign will outline the valued feedback they received from the online survey and how the views of respondents have guided the proposals, and the exhibition will also look at ways that these opportunities can be realistically made to happen.

On hand to advise on the deliverability will be commercial property advisors Lambert Smith Hampton, who have been testing the existing planning consent and new ideas against the current development market, ie under real market conditions.

Wayne Hemingway said: “Queen’s Drive is a very special location with the potential to act as a catalyst of positive change for Exmouth. What we are looking at is the means to ‘unlock’ the potential modern visitor offer for the town while not losing the essential natural character of Exmouth.

“We welcome people’s views on the Vision for Queen’s Drive and look forward to receiving feedback from the public.”

Following the public events taking place this week, another public meeting to be arranged either just before or just after the Christmas and New Year period where the public can give their feedback on the proposals that Mr Hemingway has put forward.

Speaking at a full council meeting last month, Cllr Ben Ingham, leader of the council, said that this will then enable the cabinet and the council to start taking the key decisions early in 2020, as he has said he wants the proposals to be in place by the end of 2021.

He added: “Proposals are emerging for a mix of public space, continued popular free play facilities and the kind of commercial developments that will pay for those elements and benefit Exmouth’s economy. This is very much in keeping with the principles laid out some years ago in the Exmouth masterplan and much more recently the policies agreed by Exmouth people in their Neighbourhood Plan.

“It is this administration’s view that a new and sharper focus was needed on delivering the final phase of the Queen’s Drive development and that is what we are doing. You have heard my aspirations so we have got to get cracking.”

The proposals for Queen’s Drive are the third and final stage of the seafront redevelopment.

Phase 1 – the relocation of the road and the car park – has been completed.

Phase 2 is the construction of Sideshore, the upcoming Watersports centre on Exmouth seafront, which will also house a Michael Caines run restaurant, has begun and is set to open next summer.

Exmouth residents have also put forward an alternative vision for what they want to see on the Queen’s Drive seafront site.

It would include an innovative play area with high ropes, water wars and climbing towers for older children and adults.

Their plan includes:

• an innovative pay play area with high ropes, water wars and climbing towers for older children and adults.
• A free play area, similar to the existing dinosaur-themed play park
• an intimate arts/performance space for hire
• an interactive Discovery Centre telling the story of our unique coastline and estuary
• a brand new Crazy Golf course
• a Café and a gift shop
• a sunken garden on the site of the former swan boating lake where all the plants will be edible

They had asked for the proposals to also be included alongside those of HemingwayDesign at the exhibition events.