Exeter city centre landmark to be demolished

Massive new homes complex to follow

Developers behind a massive new housing scheme in the centre of Exeter have asked for permission to axe a familiar city landmark.

The footbridge which spans North Road and links the Mary Arches multi-storey car park to the Guildhall shopping centre has to come down to make way for a huge new ‘co-living’ complex.

Kent-based Eutopia Homes wants to replace what it says is an ugly concrete multi-storey with a landmark housing development of 300 co-living units.

When the plans were first announced earlier this year Eutopia director Lorna Henderson said: “Our aim is to create a vibrant, sustainable urban community. This will be a purpose-built co-living development which will allow for optimal design and space management.”

Co-living developments usually feature a large number of compact units sharing some communal facilities.

The entire site is owned and operated by Exeter City Council which decided late in 2022 that it was obsolete as a car park and the council would need to spend almost £4million to refurbish it.

The steel and concrete bridge went up in the mid-1970s, a few years after the shopping centre was built.

In a statement Eutopia says it thinks the bridge detracts from the local townscape and the setting of nearby listed buildings.

The company says: “The removal of the footbridge will enhance the local townscape and in doing so better reveal the significance of the central conservation area and enhance the setting of listed buildings along North Street.

“Significantly, its removal will facilitate the development of Mary Arches car parks redevelopment site.”

The planning application does not specify how the bridge will be demolished or how long it will take to do it.