Memorandum by Exmouth Town Council (CT
05)
1. GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATION
Exmouth is situated on the South Coast of Devon,
on the eastern side of the mouth of the River Exe estuary. The
River Exe is recognised as a "RAMSAR" site and designated
a "Sight of Special Scientific Importance" (SSSI). Exmouth's
coastal frontage is at the Western Gateway of the World Heritage
Site (WHS). The land surrounding Exmouth is designated an Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Exmouth is 14 miles from
the City of Exeter.
2. RECENT HISTORY
Exmouth was one of England's first seaside resorts
following the arrival of the railway in the 19th Century and has
been a tourist destination for over one hundred years. The growth
of tourism peaked around 1960 and then fell into decline with
the growth of affordable international travel. A working docks
area was closed in the 1979 with the associated land developed
into a marina enclosed by residential development adding little
to the economic life of the town. At around this time there was
an expansion of the Town's boundaries with the rapid growth of
residential areas helping to meet Structure Plan targets for the
County and Central Government. Unfortunately little thought was
given to the social requirements of future residents. The Town
is left with large residential areas and few sites for employment
and leisure.
3. ATTRIBUTES
OF EXMOUTH
(a) A level seafront extending two miles
with the only sandy beach in the East Devon District and wonderful
natural sea views.
(b) An estuary of international importance
for migrating birds.
(c) Excellent rail and bus links and interchange
with close proximity to the M5 motorway and Exeter International
Airport.
(d) New "Sustrans" Cycle route
in the process of being constructed around the Exe Estuary.
(e) Easy access to Woodbury Common—a
rare example of pebble bed heath land within the East Devon AONB.
(f) A social and residential environment
attractive to those in, or approaching, retirement.
(g) A vibrant and well managed evening and
night-time economy attractive to the younger population.
(h) A "lower than average", and
reducing crime rate relative to the surrounding area and much
envied by other parts of the country.
4. DEFICIENCIES
OF EXMOUTH
(a) Other than housing there has been a serious
lack of capital investment over many years and certainly in the
last 50 years.
(b) Investment has been painfully slow in
coming forward for coastal sea defences (sea wall).
(c) The seafront infrastructure has received
no new monies since the 1950s.
(d) The estuary has not, until recently,
been recognised as a special environmental and potential economic
asset.
(e) Investment to keep the town up to date
with modern requirements has largely by-passed Exmouth.
(f) The Town Centre has not kept up to date
with surrounding development resulting in large numbers of commercial
businesses leaking from the town, leaving Exmouth as a dormitory
of Exeter.
(g) Road infrastructure is out of date, inadequate
and very congested especially during day peak times and the summer
season.
(h) The economic base is totally inadequate
for a sustainable town with a "well above average" proportion
of part time, seasonal and low paying employment.
(i) In 2008 the University of Plymouth is
moving its teacher training faculty from Exmouth leaving a £5
million deficit in the local economy.
5. HINDRANCES
TO FUTURE
IMPROVEMENT OF
EXMOUTH TOWN
COUNCIL
Exmouth as a seaside town, at the far end of
an estuary, has been placed in a "poverty trap" being:
(a) too large to attract investment through
SWRDA's Market & Coastal Towns initiative (Only coastal towns
with a population not exceeding 20,000 qualify—Exmouth's
population is 34,000);
(b) too small to qualify for Urban Renewal
funding;
(c) outside the area selected for Objective
2 EU funding;
(d) inside the dormitory area of Exeter—the
thriving capital of the County; and
(e) adjudged an affluent area due to its
location, significant retirement population and relatively high
property prices driven by the seemingly affluent retired creating
an impossible situation for local people wishing to remain in
the town.
Exmouth provides a prime example of a coastal
town largely overlooked and neglected by successive Governments
being abandoned to survive in a fiercely competitive time.
There is an urgent need to:
(f) preserve and regenerate seafronts and
esplanades which have been increasingly left to the ravages of
time with no clear investment strategy;
(g) regenerate coastal town centres suffering
from seasonality creating unique issues for traders;
(h) invest in facilities for small/medium
business start up/expansion;
(i) recognise that seaside towns need to
be promoted much more as a national resource for sustainable tourism;
and
(j) provide resources for improving the attractiveness
of the public realm and recognise that attractive spaces create
the "sense of place" needed to bring sustainable business
back to the seaside.
6. ISSUES SURROUNDING
THE COASTAL
TOWNS INQUIRY
For the reasons above:
1. there is a strong case for "special
initiatives to tackle the needs of coastal towns" such as
Exmouth;
2. Exmouth would be a good town to study
to ascertain how a seaside town has declined and how it is fighting
back;
3. there is a need to look at the social
balance of seaside towns so that they do not degenerate into retirement
dormitories;
4. there is a strong case for "more
specific regional initiatives" targeted at coastal towns;
5. "funding for regeneration and supporting
coastal towns" is urgently required for the reasons above;
and
6. "the success of the RDA's and other
bodies in supporting and developing the economies of coastal towns"
has been at best, patchy, with hands tied by overly prescriptive
initiatives which fail to recognise the individualities and special
character of each town.
Tourist Information is the lifeblood of coastal
towns but local communities are left to fend for themselves in
a market that has rapidly become global, with financial support
for initiatives such as Tourist Information Centres still firmly
entrenched in the 1950s.
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