Surely, if this process is to be truly open and accountable, this selection should have been the responsibility of the ward members themselves? After all, we were elected by residents to work on their behalf to uphold their wishes. It remains to be seen whether any of the important lessons from other EDDC projects (such as the relocation from Knowle and the beach management plan, let alone Seaton and Exmouth regeneration) have really been learnt.

Sidmouth Town Council may nominally be leading this project for now, but, in the long run, most of the land concerned is owned by EDDC and the final say on who buys it and for what use will be theirs. This includes the car parks and the swimming pool as well as the buildings on the seafront.”