Exeter's controversial development deferred

Hundreds objected to plans

Controversial plans for up to 93 new homes in Exeter have been deferred so that councillors can visit the site after hundreds of people objected.

Officers had recommended to the city council’s planning committee that the development at the northern edge of the city near Beacon Heath, off Spruce Close and Celia Crescent, goes ahead, subject to several conditions being met.

But several members, including council leader Phil Bialyk (Labour, Exwick), expressed concerns and wanted to look at the location before making a final ruling at a later date.

The application by Devon developer Salter Property was originally for up to 105 homes, but following initial complaints this was revised downwards after adjoining fields were allocated for an area to be called ‘New Valley Park.’  That didn’t stop the complaints, which now total 463.  Four comments are neutral, but no member of the publc has written to support the plans.

Before the planning meeting, dozens of protesters gathered outside the city’s historic Guildhall to urge arriving members to reject the application.

Malcolm Stone, who lives near the site said it would be the “small end of the wedge” if the scheme were approved: “Once one of these plans gets agreed, the whole lot of those fields are going to go.

“From my house you can see for miles. If you go up those fields you can look right down through the estuary, right across Exeter, right the way out past Exeter airport. The views are absolutely stunning. That’s all going to be lost for a housing development.”

Mr Stone added: “We have to build houses. We have to build them somewhere, but let’s use the brownfield sites, not the greenfield sites.”

Another protester, Gill Baker, questioned whether building houses at the top of hills would be appropriate given Exeter’s net-zero carbon plans: “If we keep building at the tops of hills we’re not going to be able to do that, because even fit people with heavy shopping – they can’t just cycle or walk to the top of a hill,” she said.

At the meeting, director of the development company, Peter Salter, said the scheme would deliver “much needed housing towards Exeter’s five-year land supply and secures significant ecological and wider community benefits.”

Mr Salter pointed to the landowner’s offer to give 22 acres of his land to the community as a ‘New Valley Park’ connecting to the adjacent Mincinglake Valley Park and reminded members the current public use of the land was “unauthorised.”

If the plan goes ahead, Stagecoach will extend its existing F1 bus route up Pinwood Meadow Drive through the site and down Celia Crescent/Chancellor’s Way. The developer will pay the bus company £90k for that extension which will serve people buying the new homes.

Stagecoach wrote to the council to support the scheme, suggesting the plans would also improve access to buses for other people living in the immediate vicinity.

Mr Salter said it would end the current need for the bus to do a three-point turn at the end of Chancellor’s Way. Instead, it would loop through the site and Pinwood Meadow Drive “taking in two large areas currently not served by bus therefore contributing to Exeter’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030”. He added the plan includes additional parking bays, so there will be no net loss of parking.

Speaking against the proposal, Councillor Naima Allcock (Labour, Micinglake & Whipton – the ward of the proposed scheme) told the committee the development had “no place in the Exeter we are trying to build” and said there was already a strain on existing public services in the area.

As well as worries about the impact on the landscape setting and local character, Cllr Allcock said an increased number of cars on existing roads would also be a problem.

“I’ve seen cars parked on dangerous bends and on roundabouts. I’ve even seen cars parked in the middle of pavements. Adding more cars into the mix and converting Juniper Close – a quiet cul-de-sac – into a busy access road will have serious implications for road safety.”

On the extended bus route, Cllr Allcock added that existing problems with the F1 service meant it is unlikely to reduce car use generated by the development and having the bus go up the road every half-an-hour would “dramatically increase congestion.”

But, recommeding it goes ahead, a report by the council’s planning officer said the development will secure more than 10 hectares of public open space – “far more than a typical residential development of this scale” – including over nine hectares at the ‘New Valley Park’.

The report adds: “This land will be secured in perpetuity, benefitting not just current, but future generations as well. It will effectively stop any further development encroachment into the countryside in this part of the city.”

Discussing the plan, leader of the council Phil Bialyk said Cllr Allcock’s address had been “very compelling” and, pointing to the development’s impact on the existing area, he was minded to refuse.

But Cllr Rachel Sutton (Labour, Exwick) wanted to defer a decision so the planning committed could visit the site. By a majority vote, they agreed to do that.

The application will come back to the committee at a later date.