Agenda item

Tim Child introduced his report on temporary uses.  This followed on from the meeting held on 17 November 2020 and the recommendations to not proceed with the temporary car park, to provide improved signage to other car parks and for temporary uses for 2021 to be researched and reported back to the Delivery Group, in consultation with Cllr Nick Hookway and Cllr Chris Wright.

A site meeting had taken place with the Chair of the Delivery Group and Cllrs Hookway and Wright at which the temporary car park site and the temporary uses going forward were discussed.  It was agreed to refer to the car park site as the ‘former’ car park.

The possible temporary uses were set out in the report with a matrix of the advantages and disadvantages of each.  Following the site meeting, the preferred option was for the former car park to be laid to grass and to be used for low key fitness offerings, which would benefit all age groups and complement the Council’s health and well-being agenda, provide a visitor destination and would not compete with other local businesses.  This use would be managed by the EDDC Events Team.

A change of use for the former car park site would require both a decision by Cabinet and planning permission with the aim of temporary uses being up and running by July 2021 due to timing constraints in the decision making process .  The site would be marketed in the interim.  However, a decision by Members would be required as to whether to proceed with seeding the area to be laid to grass as this could not be left as late as June when it was anticipated that the necessary permissions for change of use would be received. 

Regarding temporary uses for the main site, it was proposed to retain the same food and beverage traders as in the previous year and also to consider whether the charging should be reviewed.  The report also addressed events on the space at the rear of the site and proposed that communities and other organisations, including commercial operations, could deliver events there.  With regard to the bar, it was proposed to renew the existing agreement for the 2021 season.

The report also considered the capital costs for remedial works to the site which were estimated at between £15,000 to £35,000 depending on the extent.  Tim Child drew Members’ attention to the financial implications identified at the start of his report, including the loss of income from the former car park site plus the capital costs of grassing that site and maintenance costs for Streetscene for the main Queen’s Drive Space.   There was a potential £73,000 capital cost and a £19,000 loss of revenue as a worst case scenario which should be borne in mind when considering the recommendations in the report.

Angela Gordon Lennox introduced her role as Events Officer to facilitate events across East Devon in line with the Council’s health and well-being agenda, to support local businesses and encourage visitors to the area.  Members were advised that a large proportion of enquiries received by the Events Team related to health activities.  The Team were well-placed to manage the marketing and bookings for Queen’s Drive Space in line with established procedures for events across the district.

The Chair thanked Angela Gordon Lennox for her contribution and Tim Child for his report.  It was noted that any plans for the summer could be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and that there was a financial risk of laying the former car park to grass before planning permission was granted for the change of use.

Discussion of the report included the following points:

·        It was premature to commit to expenditure of approximately £30,000-£40,000 and the associated loss of income from the former car park

·        The former car park site was not needed as other car parks in Exmouth were under used

·        Investing in green space was a statement of intent on the part of the Council and in line with the green agenda

·        The optimum time for laying the former car park to grass was in early spring

·        Regarding improved signage to other car parks, this had been agreed by Cabinet and would be actioned by the relevant Officer.  It was suggested that improvements to signage could be included within the East Devon app for visitors using smartphones and agreed that digital means of promoting alternative car parking should be considered

·        Devon County Council, as the highways authority, should be requested to improve highways signage to alternative car parks with a request to the Exmouth County Councillors for locality funding towards the cost

Cllr Hayward proposed that recommendations A and B in the report be agreed, with the additional recommendation that a request be made to Devon County Council to improve highways signage to alternative car parks and that locality funding towards the cost of the signage be requested from Exmouth County Councillors.  This was seconded by Cllr Gazzard and was agreed.

Following discussion on the timing of laying the former car park site to grass, Cllr Hayward further proposed that the grass seeding should proceed.  This was seconded by Cllr Taylor.

It was queried whether the grass seeding of the former car park site, as opposed to the change of use, would require planning permission.  If the above proposal to recommend to Cabinet to proceed with grass seeding prior to the grant of planning permission was agreed, and if the grass seeding itself did require planning consent, this would result in a retrospective planning application.  Members of the Delivery Group who were also members of the Planning Committee – Cllr Whibley, Cllr Gazzard and Cllr Davey – abstained from the vote on the grass seeding.  It was agreed to recommend to Cabinet that the grass seeding should proceed prior to the grant of planning permission for the change of use.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO CABINET:

A.  That a temporary planning application be submitted for up to 2 years on the former car park site to enable the area to be grassed (seed or turf) and used for fitness uses as per the report.

B.  That the temporary use on the main Queen’s Drive Space for the 2021 season progress as detailed in the report (paragraphs 3.1-3.8) in respect of arrangements for the bar, the traders, events and replacement of the seating areas.

C.  That the former car park site be laid to grass prior to planning permission for change of use being granted.

D.  That a request be made to Devon County Council to improve highways signage to alternative car parks and that locality funding towards the cost of the signage be requested from Exmouth County Councillors.