Our main concerns are the increased proximity to the buildings in Higher Summerland, the fact that the buildings within the plot do not follow the window to window distance of 22m as suggested by the Exeter Design Guide, the missing of any floor plans with measurements and layout details, and the inclusion of a potential bus lane in front of the buildings on Heavitree Road. For details please read our full letter.
Former Police Station and Magistrate Court – ECS Response to Second Proposal
Exeter Civic Society sees what is presented for the new round of consultations as a huge improvement to the previous design, which we objected to. The proposals are much more in line with the surrounding area, with eight separate blocks and a significantly reduced number of rooms providing less impact to the street scene and neighbours. The positioning and direction of the buildings relate better to elements of the surroundings. We are pleased the developer replaced the inadequate concept as ‘a gateway’ by one interpreting the site as bridging between two decisively different conservation areas (Mont le Grand and Summerlands), and then ‘taking inspirations from their characteristics’. But we still have some concerns which we expressed in a letter to the developer. We are currently working on a reply to the Pre-application Consultation, on which we were invited to comment by ECC.