‘Orcombe Gate’ completed

A view of the new pedestrianised section at Orcombe Point at the end of Exmouth seafront. Photo by Simon Horn. Ref exe 0770-04-13SH To order your copy of this photograph go to www.exmouthjournal.co.uk and click on MyPhotos24. Archant

The finishing touches are being applied to the Jurassic Coast Gateway and ‘Orcombe Gate’.

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The £500,000 scheme will be completed in time for the Easter holidays, transforming the Orcombe area of Exmouth and highlighting its status as the oldest part of the World Heritage Site.

Devon County Council has funded the improvements, working in partnership with East Devon District Council, Exmouth Town Council, the National Trust and Clinton Devon Estates, and in liaison with the Jurassic Coast and South West Coast Path teams.

Work began in November 2011. Firstly, signage and interpretation was installed between Foxholes car park through to Devon Cliffs Holiday Park, including the zig-zag path to promote a number of circular trails. There have also been improvements to the Geoneedle area on the cliff top at Orcombe involving re-profiling the land to create a retaining wall with integrated seating, an orientation point with stone pavers and interpretative pavers and markers.

Finally, a pedestrianisation scheme has been developed at the far end of Queens Drive with the creation of a World Heritage Site interpretative seating area, with coloured surfacing in the form of a simplified ammonite and relocation of the flagpoles for the Exmouth Jurassic banners.

It is hoped this area will become known as Orcombe Gate.

County councillor Eileen Wragg, said: “The original bid in 2008 was for a visitors’ centre, with £250,000 from the sale of Exeter Airport, matched with a further £250,000 from Devon County Council. However no site was available, so the current scheme was developed which sensitively enhances the natural surroundings of the red sandstone cliffs.

It also provides an elegant upgrading of Orcombe Point and is most appropriate as a friendly Gateway to the Jurassic Coast. Thanks must go to those who did so much research and work to bring the project to fruition.”