Brand new outdoor shower for Exmouth

Exmouth Town Council, East Devon District Council (EDDC) and local resident, Ed Hughes, have worked together to get Exmouth the brand new seafront outdoor shower that residents wanted.

The outdoor shower, next to The Octagon, is free and has two shower heads and two lower down foot washers.

Funding for this project (Section 106 money) became available as a result of a number of housing developments in the Exmouth Town Council area. Section 106 money is collected from developers and spent by EDDC, which chooses to involve the community in how it allocates funds.

EDDC, a group of Exmouth Town Councillors (Cllr Pat Graham, Cllr Bill Nash and Cllr Alison Greenhalgh) and local resident Ed Hughes who proposed, the idea have been working together to provide the showers.

In 2011, EDDC and Exmouth Town Council asked community groups, residents and other organisations to put forward their ideas as to how £150,000 of the sports funding accumulated from recent Exmouth housing developments (Section 106 money) should be spent. Local resident Ed Hughes proposed the idea of outdoor showers on the seafront in Exmouth.

All the ideas were then taken out to residents and they got to vote on which ones they wanted to happen in Exmouth.Since then the Exmouth Town Council group and EDDC have been working together to deliver the most popular projects. The following have already happened through this project and are already in place for residents to use:

• The outdoor gym equipment in Phear Park and on the seafront (£25,000)
• The multi-use games area and refurbished tennis courts in Phear Park (£75,000 towards the £200,000 project)
• Making Exmouth skate park larger and re-designing it with new ramps (£60,000)
• Outdoor games area in The Crescent, Littleham (£40,000)

Cllr John Humphries, EDDC Member Champion for Exmouth and Mayor for Exmouth, said: “It just shows what can be done when the council and local community work together. This is one of many improvements to the seafront which together will attract more visitors to Exmouth. The idea for the shower was sent to us by a resident and then voted for by the people of Exmouth. Ed worked with us to help decide the look of the shower and where it could be located. It’s evidence that the local community can make a difference. The shower is already proving popular in this recent good weather.”

Ed Hughes, whose application on behalf of Exe Power Boat and Ski Club led to the installation, said: “We take a broad interest in facilities for all water-users many of whom will be able to benefit from this new facility and more like it if it proves to be as popular as it seems thus far. Visitors return to places that are welcoming, pleasant and easy to use. They want swift access, cheap and easy parking and good facilities like a choice of cafes and clean toilets. Showers like this one provide another reason to come back to Exmouth."