The award winning Seaton Wetlands is to get bigger after East Devon District Council acquired more land. Reports from the Council say that they have purchased 18 acres of land at Seaton Marshes, to the west of the estuary, which will expand the Wetlands and allow for access from the town centre.

Speaking about the plans, East Devon District Council’s countryside manager, James Chubb,  said: “By providing access to the marshes and wetlands from the town centre, we are encouraging visitors to come to the town and contribute to the town’s economy, as well as providing easier access by public transport.”

The award winning nature reserve has previously been recognised as Small Attraction of the Year in the Devon Tourism Awards and earlier this year noted a record number of visitors. More than 7000 visits were recorded during the 2024 Easter holidays, which was a significant increase from the previous year.

Cllr Geoff Jung told reporters at the time: “Recent data proves that this nature reserve is highly valued by people living nearby and people on holiday, nature is important to visitors and its important to us too. That’s why we continue to support the site, providing access to all. By bringing visitors to the area, it’s an important contributor to the local economy as well.”

The land now acquired by Seaton Wetlands came on the market unexpectedly and the council moved quickly to ensure it could showcase more wetland conservation work and that public access and education would be at the forefront of the project.

It is hoped that once the habitat and infrastructure projects were complete, that the team would form a natural entry point to Seaton Wetlands that would be easily accessible from the town centre.

James Chubb said: “It will take time to develop the vision for this land and how it best links through from the town. This will be done in the coming months […]”.

There are a number of events taking place over the coming months at Seaton Wetlands for the whole family to enjoy.