Intro
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the Stop Exmo_20 Action Group, standing against the proposed development of land at St John's, Exmouth, known as Exmo_20.
Online Petition
Once again, thank you all for your continued support and also for helping to push the online petition to beyond 1180 signatures. Many of you have helped with putting up posters. Also, thanks to Suzanne for setting up and displaying the Exmo_20 banner. Members of the committee have subsequently displayed their own copies.
We are still hoping to keep the petition going and would like to arrange some signing sessions around Exmouth and Budleigh. Suggested locations include The Strand, shopping centre and station in Exmouth, and somewhere in the town centre in Budleigh. If anyone would like to help us with that, please let us know via our contact@stopexmo20.co.uk email account.
Please continue share the petition as we are keen to top 2000 signatures, if possible. The petition is available here:
https://openpetition.org/vkcjc
Latest News
Legal Representation
The committee have recently approached a barrister with a view to making a legal challenge to support our aims. We are currently considering three options. To this end, we will inevitably require funding.
Crowd Funding
We are currently considering options for crowd funding to support the legal challenge. If anyone could help us with this, please get in touch via our email address, contact@stopexmo20.co.uk. We hope you will continue to support our aims when we get this off the ground.
SEAG Public Forums
We are considering hosting two more public forums in Budleigh and Exmouth to provide an update on progress, and gather ideas and further support. Suggested meeting dates are Wednesday, 11th November and Friday, 13th November (venues to be determined). The meeting could include a protest photo opportunity and petition signing. Further details will be agreed at the next SEAG meeting.
Meetings
Since our last newsletter, there has been several meetings of note.
SEAG Committee Meeting
Our next committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 21st October 2026 at 19:00 at the Norman Centre, Budleigh Salterton. We are happy for people to join us, so please come along if you wish to listen in and take part.
Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
The last meeting was on Tuesday, 22nd September, 2026. Four members of our committee attended and made speeches, with a fifth member having a statement read out. Highlights of the meeting were reported in the Exmouth Journal:
One stumbling block to the removal of Exmo_20 is the EDDC definition of what would represent a "significant change" to the Local Plan. The next SPC meeting is on Tuesday, 17th November 2026.
Update: the next Strategic Planning Committee was later moved to Tuesday 1 December 2026.
Meeting with David Reed MP
All 100 places for this meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2026 were taken, with many others unable to get a ticket. This was a positive meeting as David was very supportive. Attendees raised major worries regarding local infrastructure, sewage capacity, pressure on public services, and increased traffic on local roads. David assured the meeting that he would take residents' key concerns, including the "significant change" definition, directly to government ministers.
Full details of the meeting are available here:
https://www.davidreed.uk/exmo20
Full Council Meeting
The last meeting was on Wednesday, 14th October 2026 at 18:00 at Council Chamber, Blackdown House, Honiton. The vote on the East Devon Local Plan (EDLP) was not included in this meeting as key elements remain outstanding. The Habitats Regulations Assessment, Air Quality Mitigation Report and Water Cycle Study are still to be completed. They are certainly leaving it late, considering the plan must be submitted by end of year. We expect the vote to approve the EDLP will now require an extraordinary FCM.
Four of the committee made speeches, and a fifth had a statement read out. Tom certainly created a real commotion. For more detail, please see the related article in the Exmouth Journal:
And Finally
Thank you, once again, for your continued support.
The Committee, Stop Exmo_20 Action Group
Copy of the newsletter sent in October 2026, as written, except that the group's contact email address has been changed to the campaign's address.