Major new housing plans revealed

The sites are next to the Met Office and Ikea

Plans for 400 new homes for one sites next to two of Exeter’s biggest businesses have been revealed.

The separate schemes will see 200 homes built at a site on Barton Road, right next to the Met Office, while a further 200 homes are proposed to  be built on land next to Ikea.

The Ikea site forms part of the Exeter Core Strategy Newcourt Strategic Allocation, which proposes 3,500 homes and employment development at Newcourt, while the Barton Road plan is part of the wider Hill Barton Masterplan.

A statement submitted by the Pegasus Group on behalf of Bovis Homes for the Ikea scheme says it will create housing choice and new amenity spaces for the existing and new community, while improving public access across the site and to the wider pedestrian network.

It adds: “The Masterplan is founded on the best practice in urban design, community integration and sustainable development, with strong links to the wider area.

“The site has good accessibility to a range of services, facilities and jobs. The benefit of the proposed development is the delivery of market and affordable homes for which there is a demonstrable need.

“There are no adverse impacts that would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal and as such planning permission should be granted without delay. It is also notable that regardless of the five-year supply position, the proposed development accords with the policies of the development plan and should therefore be approved without delay.”

Kay Elliott Architects on behalf of Salter Property Investments, have put forward the plans for the Hill Barton site, and the scheme ‘will tie seamlessly into the wider Hill Barton Masterplan whilst possessing its own distinct sense of character’, a statement with the plan says.

It adds: “The proposed site forms part of the wider area earmarked for residential development as within the Hill Barton and Monkerton Masterplan. Demand for housing within Exeter remains high and the proposed development will help to meet the Core Strategy’s target of providing a minimum of 12,000 new homes by 2026 through the creation of a well located sustainable community with excellent transport links and a wide range of nearby facilities.

“The proposals will promote the vitality of the future urban area of which they are a part, and will cause no harm to either Green Belts or the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside. They will support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate, taking full account of flood risk, and avoid harm to heritage assets.

“By accommodating development within the existing urban boundary of the city of Exeter, the proposals will assist with protecting more sensitive land beyond the existing urban limits, and in particular the valued landscape setting to the north and east of the city.”

Exeter City Council planners will determine the fate of the applications at a later date.