East Devon District Council has confirmed the sublease has been signed meaning Budleigh Salterton Town Council is responsible for the Jubilee Shelter

After eight years of negotiations and legal wrangling, the guardians of a popular seafront shelter have put pen to paper on the sublease of the structure.

The Jubilee Shelter in Budleigh Salterton is officially the responsibility of the town council after East Devon District Council (EDDC) confirmed the paperwork had been signed.

Since 2011, the town council have been in talks with EDDC over the future of the site with a view to keeping it for the community.

An EDDC spokesman said: “East Devon District Council is delighted to confirm that the sublease to Budleigh Town Council for the seafront shelter was completed on 18 March, 2019.”

When plans to rename it the ‘Jubillee Shelter’ ahead of Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the wheels were set in motion for the town council to take it over.

Around the same time, plans had been submitted to create a controversial two-storey restaurant on the site of the adjacent Longboat Café, which included demolishing the shelter.

These plans have since been rejected by EDDC and the long-term future of the shelter looks to have been secured.

Town mayor Tom Wright said: “It has just been a question of sorting out the legislation which were complicated when the owner of the Longboat sublet it to the new owners.

“Otter Valley Association and The Jurassic Coast Trust played a major role in initial refurbishment and the town council has just replaced windows and had it redecorated.

“It will now continue to be a much valued public amenity enjoyed by residents and visitors.”

The shelter was renamed in 2011 to create a lasting monument to the jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and since then the town council have been looking after the site on an non-official basis.

Former mayor Courtney Richards spearheaded the campaign to take over the shelter. He said this decision allows him to ‘close the book’ on his civic career.

He said: “That shelter is an asset to the town and the way it looks now makes it a lasting tribute to The Queen’s jubilee.”