ECS responds to Full Application for Former Police Station and Magistrate Courts site

On 29 Sep Exeter Civic Society handed in its response to the Full Re-Application for the site of the Former Police Station and Magistrate Courts. You will remember that the previous application was refused by the council and this was upheld in legal proceedings. The developer came up with new layouts and ideas and we commented on them after a pre-application exhibition and consultation earlier this year. We see the current proposals as improvement, but think further amendments and more information is required before we can remove our objections. We understand concerns of local residents who still think scale and massing remains out of character with the surrounding area, and given how much emphasis the Planning Inspector laid on this in his rejection of the previous scheme, we think these concerns have to be taken seriously (for more details see below). The number of units is enlarged again, from 762 in the pre-application to 813 (compared to the 905 units in the rejected application).

The document “Architect Email to Exeter Airport Showing Max Building Heights” shows clearly how the development will dominate the surrounding area. Many of the other visuals show the buildings only in comparison to each other on the site. We therefore ask for some more views from the immediate surrounding area into the proposed building to more clearly understand the impact.

Though the height of the scheme overall is reduced, and a stepped approach is taken, the overall impact of the development is still an issue, particularly overlooking Higher Summerlands. We suggest a stepped approach, bringing down Co-living Block 3 by one storey and also bringing down the northern end of Co-living Block 1.

Further points we raised cover:

  • landscaping on the boundary with St Matthew’s Close
  • poor design for corner of Gladstone Road and Heavitree Road
  • highway crossing points on Heavitree Road
  • distances between blocks which needs to be brought into line with Exeter Design Guide standards
  • staff and parcel room for PBSA to be repositioned
  • insufficiently looking disability provision
  • not very generous waste bin areas
  • doubts about feasibility of positioning of buildings to allow for an extended bus lane on Heavitree Road
  • Framework Travel Plan needs to be updated
  • insufficient accessible parking on site

For our full response, see: https://exetercivicsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ECR-Former-Police-Station-Sep-25-response-final.pdf