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Sideshore Watersports Centre
Exmouth
SUMMARY
A coastal public realm and leisure landscape project on Exmouth seafront. Redbay shaped a contemporary watersports destination using durable materials, coastal planting, weathered textures and landscape connections between the town, promenade, beach and The Maer Local Nature Reserve.
LOCATION
Exmouth
CLIENT
Grenadier Estates
PARTNERS
-
SECTOR
Landscape Planning
COMPLETION:
2023
SERVICE TAGS
Concept Design & Masterplanning, Hard Landscape Design, Planting Design, Public realm & visitor landscapes, Commercial & Leisure & Hospitality Landscapes, Construction Detailing
Redbay was appointed to support the landscape design for Sideshore, a community hub and watersports centre on Exmouth seafront. The project formed part of a wider regeneration area and needed to create a modern coastal destination that combined outdoor activity, sustainable retail, beachside dining and a stronger relationship with the surrounding seafront landscape.
Redbay developed the landscape strategy, including hard landscape materials, street furniture, planting, landform, boundary treatment and ecological grassland. The design used a contemporary maritime palette, with natural, weathered and rustic textures that responded to the architecture while helping the site feel rooted in its coastal setting.
The site had historically been affected by physical and visual barriers, including Queen’s Drive, surface car parks and scattered seaside structures. These had weakened the connection between the town, The Maer Local Nature Reserve and the promenade.
The challenge was to create a durable and low-maintenance public realm that felt contemporary but not overly polished. The landscape needed to withstand the coastal microclimate, support high visitor use, connect with the adjoining nature reserve and help the development feel like a natural part of Exmouth’s seafront rather than an isolated destination.
The completed landscape uses a coastal material palette that brings together sandstone, graphite and silver paving, basalt and granite tones, Millboard decking, gravel, natural boulders, cockle shell mulch and site-won earth mounds. These elements help create a robust but characterful public realm that reflects the textures and tones of the beachfront.
Street furniture was selected to support both durability and coastal identity, including chunky timber seating, Corten-framed benches and planters, cycle stands and timber screening. These details help soften utility areas, support visitor use and give the external spaces a more cohesive and contemporary seaside character.
The planting strategy connects the development back to its wider landscape context, using salt-wind resilient specimen trees, native coastal scrub, ornamental coastal planting and low-maintenance tussock grass. The result is a seafront landscape that supports visitor experience, regeneration and ecological connection with the adjoining nature reserve.
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