Council to start improvement works to Maer Road Car Park in Exmouth

East Devon District Council is to commence improvement works, including resurfacing and construction of a new entrance, at Maer Road car park in Exmouth. Work will begin on Monday 13 May 2019 and is expected to last approximately six weeks.  

The car park will remain open while work takes place, with only a small area initially closed for the construction of the new entrance and for the contractor’s compound. During the resurfacing part of the works, a larger area of the car park will be closed. However, parking will be available throughout the project.  

Once the works have been completed, the existing entrance will be closed. However, future access to the car park will continue to be via Maer Road. 

The new improved entrance will be in the northwest corner of the car park and has been designed to accommodate large vehicles including coaches and campervans, which currently cannot use the existing entrance due to the steep gradient causing damage to the underside of these vehicles. 

Surfacing improvements will take place next to the main entrance and will involve the repair of a section of tarmac that is deteriorating. The car park layout will be redesigned to incorporate coach bays into the site. The works will also involve the repositioning of utilities belonging to BT and Western Power, who will supervise this element of the construction programme.  

As the works affect the footway and highway edge, traffic management will be in place along Maer Road for the duration of the works and will include ‘give and take’ restrictions. A section of the footway adjacent to the car park will be closed throughout, and parking along a length of Maer Road will also be suspended to allow traffic to flow. All traffic management has been agreed with the Highways Authority, Devon County Council, in accordance with their licensing system.   

The works will be completed by Bridge Civil Engineering Ltd who were awarded the contract after a competitive tender process.  

Andrew Ennis, Service Lead for Environmental Health and Car Parks, said:  “The new entrance and layout at Maer Road Car Park will provide better coach and off-street campervan parking, which will help to accommodate visitors, who are important contributors to the town’s economy. Exmouth is a popular destination for campervans and the addition of a designated parking area will help provide space for them in off-street locations. We appreciate people’s patience while we complete these works, which have been planned to avoid disruption as much as possible.”

Further updates regarding this scheme, as well as others completed by the council, will be posted on @eastdevon and facebook/eastdevon.