Revised plans for £40m retail park

Gym, bank and post office to make it more local

An out-of-town shopping centre, near Sowton Industrial Estate, rejected by councillors last month has been resubmitted by its developers, with amendments to give it a greater local touch.

The application for land north of Honiton Road in Exeter, now includes a post office, a bank, and a gym, with statements submitted with saying that this ‘responds to the comments made by members that they would prefer more facilities for the local community’. M&S Simply Food, Boots, a drive-through McDonalds, a drive-through Costa are all named as tenants on the documents.

The other eight units would be filled with a yet-to-be-named discount food retailer, a post office, a newsagent, a bank, a gym, a restaurant, a hot food takeaway unit and a shop. The statement says: “The proposals now incorporate a greater range of uses, including a bank and a gym and responds to the comments made by members that they would prefer more facilities for the local community.

“The revised proposals therefore respond positively to the comments of members, and incorporates significant reduction in the floorspace, a proportionately greater reduction in the amount of retail, an extension of the range and diversity of retail uses to include both food and non-food shopping, a chemist and a post office, and an extension of the range and diversity of non-retail uses, to include a bank and a gym."

Documents state that it would create nearly 400 full time jobs.