So after all the postings in 2004 it has finally happened. EDDC have accepted the developers working for ASDA as their prefered partner for the "redevelopment" of Exmouth, driven by the building of a supermarket. Ex Town Councillor Ron Roberts having looked in his crystal ball forecast that this would happen and so you were warned even before the last attempt was scuppered by general opposition from the public.
This whole "new" project has been orchestrated by EDDC despite having making the pledge that they would no longer actively proceed with the development proposals on the site of the sports hall and swimming pool because of the public reaction to building on the estuary side.
As a follow up to my previous posting I am sure that many readers are, just like me, getting very up tight with the way EDDC are handing out small snippets of information to the press on a weekly basis about this development. We are now after a month down the line able to read that the ASDA project is not only to be built on the Exmouth bus station site, but it so includes the lorry park!
It is not that I am against the idea of a supermarket, but I am sure the development will be the wrong size for this site and the town centre in particular. We do need another alternative mainly food shopping outlet in Exmouth town centre, but not one as large as is being projected by the developers. A smaller store on the site of the KFC roundabout as promoted by the Town Council in 2006 and suported by the diversion of Marine way with the option at a later date to build big somewhere else at a later date would be far more suitable.
By the way I, and many of my family and friends, use ASDA now and would not turn down the chance to reduce the travelling time and distance that we at present have to endure.
Roger.
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