Exeter Ivy climbs closer

Upmarket restaurant set for High Street

Plans for posh restaurant chain The Ivy to open in Exeter have been given the go ahead.

Exeter City Council planners have agreed that the former Jack Wills store on the High Street can be turned into a restaurant, with seating inside and out. It will have space for 137 covers indoors, with 52 seats outside on Cathedral Yard.

About 100 jobs are expected to be created which the planning application says will bring ‘vitality and viability to the centre of Exeter as a whole’.

No one registered an objection against the scheme.

The restaurant will be split across both the basement and ground floor. The basement will mainly be used for the kitchen and back-of-house area, including staff changing rooms and break room, while the ground floor will provide the main restaurant space with a private dining room. The 137 indoor covers are split between dining tables, bar seating and private dining.

When submitted, a statement with the application said: “The Ivy is a well-established reputable restaurant operator with a number of restaurants operating around the country. The reputation of the Ivy, the operating hours, and the “greeters” located at the entrances and exits of the site will ensure that the use will not increase the potential for public disorder or crime within the centre."

No date has been revealed for the conversion and opening.