The Placemaking in Exmouth Town and Seafront Group met to discuss revisions to the Exmouth Placemaking Plan, which aims to guide the future development of Exmouth Town Centre and Seafront. Members noted the revisions and agreed to receive a further report with the plan for public consultation and adoption. The committee aims to hold a final public engagement exercise in Autumn 2025 for six weeks.

Exmouth Placemaking Plan

The group convened to discuss the revised draft of the Exmouth Placemaking Plan (EPP). The EPP is a framework designed to guide the future development of Exmouth Town Centre and Seafront, incorporating feedback from residents, Exmouth Town Council, East Devon District Council and Devon County Council.

The plan builds upon the policies outlined in the Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan, with a focus on the town centre and seafront areas. The document presented at the meeting contained five chapters:

• Introduction
• Context
• Engagement
• Placemaking Plan Framework
• Delivery Plan

The plan's vision is based on four themes:

• Creative and Enterprising: Fostering creativity and enterprise to drive economic growth and support local businesses.
• Inclusive and Prosperous: Providing opportunities for all to engage in sport, leisure, and economic activities.
• Green, Resilient and Sustainable: Focusing on green and blue natural environments, incorporating climate resilience and sustainability.
• Unique and Independent: Enhancing Exmouth's unique qualities and strengthening its identity.

The EPP outlines five strategic objectives:

1. Support the development of sites within the town centre and on the seafront for complementary uses that meet year-round demand from visitors and residents.
2. Enhance connections between existing assets through improvements to the public realm between the town centre and the seafront.
3. Promote and facilitate temporary activation and meanwhile uses¹.
4. Promote opportunities to encourage more active lifestyles for residents and visitors of all age groups including walking and cycling initiatives.
5. Enhance and celebrate Exmouth's rich biodiversity and natural assets.

The report recommended that the members note the revisions made to the Exmouth Placemaking Plan and receive a further report with the plan for public consultation and adoption.

The group agreed to the recommendation.

Background

The report presented to the Placemaking in Exmouth Town and Seafront Group (PETS) stated that the group met in January 2024 to receive a presentation from WSP[^3] on a final draft of the Exmouth Town Centre and Seafront Placemaking Plan and the associated Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC). Members were keen to ensure the public had one final opportunity to be consulted and recommended that a public consultation exercise be carried out as soon as possible.

A public consultation was held online for two weeks in March 2024, and the results were presented to PETS members in July 2024. Public comments were mixed, so members recommended that the Exmouth Placemaking Plan be refined to allow the consultation responses to help inform the plan.

WSP were engaged to carry out the review of the draft EPP and SOBC in February 2025, and were tasked with:

• Conducting meetings to deliver a EPP and SOBC fit for adoption
• Conducting four in-person workshops
• Conducting one consultation session with local residents
• Reviewing and amending the EPP report
• Reviewing and amending the Strategic Outline Business Case
• Reflecting the public consultation results

Public Engagement

The report stated that once members have endorsed a final version of the EPP, a final public engagement exercise will be held in Autumn 2025 for six weeks. In addition to online engagement, there will be an opportunity for the public to attend an in-person engagement at Exmouth Town Hall (precise dates to be confirmed).

The public will be able to view the final draft EPP and SOBC, and there will be a summary of the changes made in line with the previous public consultation exercise and the workshops. Participants will be asked to review projects within each theme and will be invited to agree or disagree with each project, and will also be able to leave comments regarding priorities. The adopted version of the EPP will reflect feedback received.

The final draft EPP & SOBC will be shared at member briefings for both Exmouth Town Council and Devon County Council to ensure they both endorse the final draft, subject to any changes suggested through comments received during the public engagement.

Governance Strategy

At the previous meeting on 18 March 2025, the Interim Project Manager Place and Prosperity gave an update in regard to the Governance Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement to be delivered as a result of all works associated with the Placemaking Plan.

During discussion, officers were asked to reconsider the position of Exmouth Town Council on the Proposed Stakeholder Map following feedback that it does not accurately reflect the Town Council's high level of interest in the Placemaking project. It was suggested that community organisations, such as the Exmouth Community Association, could be included as stakeholders.