�3m Strand facelift OK’d

FUNDING for the �3 million regeneration of The Strand has been rubberstamped, and work is expected to be completed by next November.

FUNDING for the �3 million regeneration of The Strand has been rubberstamped, and work is expected to be completed by next November.

Last week, both Devon County Council and East Devon District Council's executive's allocated �2 million and �1 million, respectively, to the project.

Devon County Council will supervise the contract which is due to be awarded in the New Year, with construction to be in phases, beginning in February.

The work is expected to take nine months and the County Council have pledged to work closely with Exmouth Town Council, residents and businesses in the area to keep disruption to a minimum.

The work follows a series of public consultations, including one at the Town Hall, and the final design has been developed with the help of the local community and businesses.

The scheme has undergone three alternative layouts and a previous draft on which the public have commented before forming this final design.

A number of aspects consistently received support during the consultation and these form the key elements of the scheme.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "For Exmouth, this is the icing on the cake and will radically improve the town centre.

"It will encourage visitors to stay longer in the town which will help the local economy. I welcome the partnership in taking this scheme forward after a comprehensive consultation process and I believe it is going to be worthy of a future nomination for a transport award when it is finished.