The Pavilion on the sea front at Lynmouth is elegant, faded and semi-derelict. Screwed to the front of the building is a notice in which North Devon District Council announces that it “is committed to finding a viable future for itâ€. The notice goes on to explain that the council is working in partnership to “explore options for its restoration and future use.†Underneath this declaration is the date, June 2004. This has evidently been a long ‘exploration’.
In August, ownership of the pavilion was handed over to the Exmoor National Park Authority, a move which was delayed by a couple of years due to complex legal problems. The new owners are now pressing ahead with plans to restore the pavilion and re-open it as a visitor centre. The pavilion dates from 1932. The lower floor was originally a boat house but is now used as a storage place by a local fish & chip shop, the upper floor was a community hall but has lain derelict since 2001. The building has deteriorated considerably in the intervening nine years.
The project management has been assigned to Gates Construction Consultants, whose clients include North Devon Homes, North Devon District Council and Devon County Council. The budget of £900,000 may not be enough and leads to three options: firstly, complete restoration of the building, secondly, restoration of the ground floor shell and original façade with new construction within this, or thirdly, demolition of the pavilion and a new building constructed on the site. Once re-opened, the pavilion/visitor centre will need some kind of commercial venture operating from it to pay for on-going running and staff costs, however, this will only take place after public consultation and on the proviso that it does not conflict with local business.
The Esplanade at Lynmouth is a kind of geographical anti-climax: it is long and affords striking views of the Exmoor coast, and yet the whole area is an underused and underdeveloped asset. The Lynmouth Pavilion project will offer new community and economic benefits to the area but this will not be a quick fix: the project has a tentative completion date of late 2012/early 2013, so it will be some time before this stylish landmark finds a new role in the community.
• The recent public consultation is helping to inform thinking for the long term use of the National Park Centre this information will be used by the Architect/Design team
• It is anticipated that the Architect/Design Team will be appointed by the end of February 2011
• Early discussions have taken place with Heritage Lottery Fund with reference to additional funding for the interpretation element of the facility
• There will be further discussions and consultations regarding what will be inside the building over the coming months.