THE EXETER DIGEST

Exeter Digest #3: Devon Pension Fund fossil fuel investment - SW Exeter district heating network - Exeter local election results

The third edition of our essential newsletter offers something for everyone on sunny bank holiday weekend.

Public consultation University of exeter Planning policy Exeter local plan Liveable exeter Net zero exeter Local industrial strategy

Welcome to the third edition of The Exeter Digest, Exeter Observer’s essential free email newsletter. Thanks for subscribing.

Feedback is welcome: please feel free to reply to this email or otherwise get in touch with any comments or suggestions you may have.

TOP STORIES

DEVON PENSION FUND’S FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENT POSITION EXPOSED

We follow up on a February report which placed the Devon fund among the country’s largest local government pension fund fossil fuel investors with an assessment of whether Devon County Council’s subsequent decision to pursue a net zero 2050 investment strategy stands up to scrutiny.

We found that while shareholder support for Paris Agreement-compatible goals has increased, it has not prevented continuing oil and gas exploration, extraction, production or consumption, undermining the county council’s shareholder activist position, which is also not reflected in its fund manager’s view or voting. Shell and BP, in which the Devon fund has invested nearly £57 million of scheme members’ money, recently held AGMs which illustrate the point.

Warnings from climate and sustainability experts and investment analysts that emissions reductions goals will be missed have meanwhile intensified, as Devon County Council welcomes a £38 million Department for Transport road-building grant. Read the full story or join the conversation on Twitter.

SW EXETER DISTRICT HEATING NETWORK DITCHED

A plan to supply the South West Exeter development of 2500 homes with heat from the Marsh Barton waste incinerator which was announced in February this year has been abandoned because most of the property developers involved in the scheme are unwilling to accept modest additional up front costs.

Local authorities had promised £7.3 million to the project, which relied on the city’s largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions (with help from a new gas power plant) to provide what they described as “carbon emission-reducing” despite its dependency on burning rubbish and “innovative” despite two other similar existing local schemes. Read more on our website or join the conversation on Twitter.

DID EXETER’S LOCAL ELECTIONS RESULTS TELL A LABOUR SUCCESS STORY?

Exeter Labour lost just one seat in the city council elections and held all seven of its county hall seats, but on closer inspection its performance was more mixed than these headline results imply.

Check out our website for more Exeter psephology than you could ever want with more interactive web app controls than we could ever have imagined.

IS EXETER CITY COUNCIL GOING TO ABANDON ITS NET ZERO 2030 TARGET?

A report in March by the city’s Chief Executive said there was a high risk that the council will be unable to “deliver carbon neutral aspirations for Exeter by 2030”, citing Devon County Council’s draft plan statement that “net zero cannot be achieved by 2030”.

The review which accompanied the report suggested alignment with the Devon Carbon Plan, which is currently aimed at “a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050”, although any change in policy would require a decision by councillors.

A report on the city council’s “Net Zero Proposals” was scheduled for the Executive’s April meeting but then disappeared from the Executive forward plan before the local elections. It is now back in front of the Executive on 6 July, but will be discussed in private, with members of the public and press excluded. Read more on our website or join the conversation on Twitter.

PS The council leader’s post-election statement made only a single, passing mention of the net zero 2030 plan despite its front and centre prominence in the Exeter Labour election manifesto.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

DEVON CARBON PLAN CONSULTATION FINDS MAJORITY WANT NET ZERO BY 2030

The background to the story above. Devon Climate Emergency Response Group responded to its consultation findings by questioning whether a 2030 target is “realistic” and suggesting a “compromise position” on a decarbonisation date that “could be palatable to all of the organisations in the Devon Climate Emergency partnership”. This was despite only 13% of consultees supporting the government’s 2050 target.

STATISTICS IN THE BALANCE

An examination of Exeter City Council Chief Executive Karime Hassan’s selective use of statistics to prevent the city in flattering light while omitting important information about Exeter’s true economic and environmental position.

NOTES & SKETCHES

MARKING THEIR OWN HOMEWORK

Exeter City Council’s ruling Labour group reallocated the city’s committee seats at its annual meeting last week.

Council leader Phil Bialyk and executive city development portfolio holder Emma Morse retained their seats on the planning committee in defiance of national guidance from the Local Government Association Planning Advisory Service, and Labour members remain in the chairs of both of the council’s scrutiny committees.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Glenn Woodcock and Roli Martin of Global City Futures were invited to join the board which oversees the Devon Carbon Plan at its meeting last month and given the same decision-making powers as the rest of the board, which is almost exclusively composed of public sector organisations.

Top of the agenda? A presentation on “innovative approaches to financing projects being explored and trialled as part of the Exeter climate emergency plan”.

At the same meeting the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group decided to scrap the planned second Devon Carbon Plan public consultation, pending legal advice, which would mean no further opportunity for the public to respond to revised versions of the plan before it is adopted as policy.

ON THE AGENDA

NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REQUIRED

As we go to press Exeter City Council’s planning committee is about to grant the university outline application for an enormous Streatham campus redevelopment between Cowley Bridge Road and Streatham Drive.

It involves the demolition of 30 buildings to construct approximately 50,000m2 of new student accommodation, and is half as large again as the 1,200 bedroom East Park development. The city council planning officer’s report is here.

The decision will be made alongside a related application to move the university’s estate services centre to the northern edge of the campus. The officer’s report on this is here.

NEW EXETER LOCAL PLAN TIMETABLE

Next Tuesday’s city council Executive meeting will discuss the timetable for delivering the new Exeter Local Plan. An issues consultation is scheduled for this September, a draft consultation for the following September, with publication and hearings in 2023 and adoption in June 2024. The report is here and the scheme here.

This is a very ambitious timetable by typical local plan development standards and may well be blown off course by the government’s controversial planning reform bill, which was included in the Queen’s speech a fortnight ago. More developer-friendly detail on this is due from MHCLG soon.

GESP REDUX

Back in Exeter the initial local plan consultation document is due for approval on 6 July, when the city council Executive will also consider the governance, resourcing and timetable arrangements for the East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon and Teignbridge Joint Plan before a final decision is taken on 20 July.

LIVEABLE EXETER UPDATE

An update on the Liveable Exeter programme, delayed from 1 June, is also expected at the 6 July Executive meeting.

ON OUR READING LIST

HOW TO REBUILD THE UK ECONOMY I

The Resolution Foundation last week published the launch report of its two year Economy 2030 Inquiry, a collaboration with the LSE and Nuffield Foundation. It considers the context in which the current decade began and outlines the challenges facing the country during the next ten years.

It intends to produce economic reform proposals aimed at “strong, sustainable and equitable growth” alongside “significant improvements to people’s living standards and well-being”.

Top line: “Commitments to ‘build back better’ gloss over the reality that the pandemic has made many things harder to achieve. They skate over the extent to which path dependency, rather than policy makers’ actions, shape outcomes.

“They pretend choices about the UK’s competitive strengths can ignore the reality of a world economy being shaped by China, the EU and the US. And they downplay the very real trade-offs we face as the UK adapts to meet the challenges of the 2020s, and questions of power that determine whose interests prevail.”

HOW TO REBUILD THE UK ECONOMY II

On the other side of the aisle, the Confederation of British Industry this week published its take on what the country should do during the next ten years. Seize the Moment describes six opportunities, which it claims are worth around £700 billion, as “business-led prizes that the UK could capture by 2030”. It also offers recommendations to Government on how to accelerate its plan for growth which is called - yes, you’ve guessed it - “Build Back Better”.

PSEPHOLOGY UNLIMITED

UK in a Changing Europe kicked off a week-long Spotlight on British Politics series with a panel including John Curtice, Rob Ford, James Forsyth and Paula Surridge discussing what the 2021 elections mean for our political parties and the state of the union. Warning: this video contains essential insights into the post-Brexit political landscape.

NET ZERO WITHOUT NUCLEAR?

Veteran sustainability campaigner Jonathan Porritt recently decided to revisit the case for nuclear power to assess what has changed since he last examined the sector in 2012. His personally-authored report offers a very useful primer of the arguments.

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION

When you join Exeter Observer you don’t just become an active supporter of the public interest journalism that Exeter needs, you become co-owner of a new kind of editorially and financially independent community news organisation.

Exeter Observer is owned and managed, researched and written, designed and developed, promoted and distributed by people like you. It is published by a Community Benefit Society which is run democratically by its members and is a true non-profit organisation bound by statute: any surplus or assets can only be used for the benefit of the community. Membership is open to all, subject to the purchase of a £1 share and payment of a subscription.

We believe that good quality local public interest journalism can only be delivered by a non-profit business model which doesn’t invade the privacy of its audience, facilitate the spread of fake news or rely on advertorial, clickbait or recycled press releases.

With your support we can hold wealth, power and the influence of individuals and institutions to account by scrutinising, investigating and reporting on the activities of government, business and charities and those that lead them.

With your support we can deliver in-depth articles and investigative journalism that is critically engaged with major challenges facing our city around democracy, development and the climate crisis while amplifying local voices and reflecting our community and cultural life.

Your membership will sustain our independent research and writing about the issues that matter in and around Exeter, so we can keep people who live or work in our city informed of what’s being done in their name, by whom, with the community assets they own and the taxes they pay.

You can find out more about Exeter Observer and how it is run or simply join us on our mission to strengthen civil society and help people participate more effectively in local democracy.


Recent headlines
Recent headlines
St Petrocks homelessness charity Christmas appeal 2023

St Petrock's Christmas appeal to raise funds to support its work with rough sleepers

Exeter area bus services trends map

Exeter bus services cut by nearly 42% since 2010, largest fall in area

University of Exeter St Luke's campus boundary aerial view

University seeks views on St Luke's campus redevelopment

Clifton Hill sports centre development site

Clifton Hill sports centre site - with adjacent green space - and Mary Arches car park set for sale for PBSA

Sandy Park stadium

City council gives Exeter Chiefs permission to hold Sandy Park concerts with 15,500 attendees

Recent stories
St Petrocks homelessness charity Christmas appeal 2023

NEWS  ⁄  COMMUNITY & SOCIETY

St Petrock's Christmas appeal to raise funds to support its work with rough sleepers

Exeter homelessness charity's fundraising campaign features short film exploring how it feels to be homeless.

Exeter area bus services trends map

NEWS  ⁄  TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

Exeter bus services cut by nearly 42% since 2010, largest fall in area

Many of worst-affected neighbourhoods in areas where major developments planned or being built, some in Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets trial area.

University of Exeter St Luke's campus boundary aerial view

NEWS  ⁄  PLANNING & PLACE

University seeks views on St Luke's campus redevelopment

Eleven acre teaching and research site between Heavitree Road and Magdalen Road to become 'health and wellbeing' campus and may include student accommodation.

Clifton Hill sports centre development site

NEWS  ⁄  PLANNING & PLACE

Clifton Hill sports centre site - with adjacent green space - and Mary Arches car park set for sale for PBSA

Reversal of policy to prohibit Purpose Built Student Accommodation on city council land proposed to cover expected £9 million outstanding Exeter City Living debt, with £800,000 budget proposed for site disposal costs.

Sandy Park stadium

NEWS  ⁄  ECONOMY & ENTERPRISE

City council gives Exeter Chiefs permission to hold Sandy Park concerts with 15,500 attendees

Permanent consent for six weekend events between 1 May and 15 July each year with amplified music to 10.30pm follows four trial concerts with audiences of just 3,500.

On Our Radar
More stories
Illustrative elevations facing Cowley Bridge Road

NEWS  ⁄  PLANNING & PLACE

City council approves Cowley Bridge Road student blocks on former Johnsons site

350 bedspaces in four blocks up to six storeys tall to be built on windfall site left vacant after 2020 fire at former laundry and workwear factory.

University of Exeter social mobility awards graphic

ANALYSIS  ⁄  COMMUNITY & SOCIETY

University of Exeter promotes social mobility 'silver awards' after being ranked 92nd in HEPI index

Higher Education Policy Institute social mobility ranking follows landmark study placing university 103rd in higher education social mobility league table, while South West young people are least likely to attend university in the country.

Exeter housing

ANALYSIS  ⁄  COMMUNITY & SOCIETY

Exeter has 3,100 vacant and empty second homes, nearly 6% of city's housing stock

ONS also finds South West has 183,000 unoccupied dwellings with another 200,000 in use as second homes in the region, of which more than 4,000 are in Exeter, as statutory homelessness increases and rough sleeping doubles in city.

JCDecaux illuminated street advertising screen

NEWS  ⁄  PLANNING & PLACE

Planning inspectors uphold decisions to refuse illuminated city centre advertising screens

Appeal dismissals conclude JCDecaux 'multifunction hubs' would materially harm character, appearance and visual amenity and have 'very limited' benefits in Sidwell Street, Paris Street and South Street with High Street hub decision to follow.

Seabrook Orchards phase three illustration

NEWS  ⁄  PLANNING & PLACE

Seabrook Orchards development plans submitted one house short of key planning condition threshold

Residents group says Bloor Homes application does not address pedestrian and cycle connectivity and is 'seeking to actively avoid delivery' of agreed transport infrastructure.

Maketank window display

NEWS  ⁄  COMMUNITY & SOCIETY

Maketank community arts centre closes after more than four years at the heart of Exeter cultural life

Crown Estate unwilling to renew lease after problems with roof preclude repairs in block scheduled for demolition as part of CityPoint redevelopment.

Spotlight
New Exeter local plan graphic

City council holds consultation on full draft of new Exeter Local Plan, set to guide development to 2040

Second major consultation begins as government introduces sweeping national planning system reforms including transfer of powers to Whitehall and changes to scope of local plans and local plan-making processes.

, updated

All topics

ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY   AIR QUALITY AIR QUALITY AIR QUALITY   COP26 COP26 COP26   COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19   CITYPOINT CITYPOINT CITYPOINT   CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE   CLIMATE CRISIS CLIMATE CRISIS CLIMATE CRISIS   CO-LIVING CO-LIVING CO-LIVING   COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY   CONGESTION CONGESTION CONGESTION   COUNCIL TAX COUNCIL TAX COUNCIL TAX   CROWN ESTATE CROWN ESTATE CROWN ESTATE   CYCLING & WALKING CYCLING & WALKING CYCLING & WALKING   DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT   DEVON & CORNWALL POLICE DEVON & CORNWALL POLICE DEVON & CORNWALL POLICE   DEVON CARBON PLAN DEVON CARBON PLAN DEVON CARBON PLAN   DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL   DEVON PENSION FUND DEVON PENSION FUND DEVON PENSION FUND   EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL   EXETER AIRPORT EXETER AIRPORT EXETER AIRPORT   EXETER CATHEDRAL EXETER CATHEDRAL EXETER CATHEDRAL   EXETER CHIEFS EXETER CHIEFS EXETER CHIEFS   EXETER CITY COUNCIL EXETER CITY COUNCIL EXETER CITY COUNCIL   EXETER CITY FUTURES EXETER CITY FUTURES EXETER CITY FUTURES   EXETER CITY LIVING EXETER CITY LIVING EXETER CITY LIVING   EXETER CLIMATE ACTION HUB EXETER CLIMATE ACTION HUB EXETER CLIMATE ACTION HUB   EXETER COLLEGE EXETER COLLEGE EXETER COLLEGE   EXETER CULTURE EXETER CULTURE EXETER CULTURE   EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND   EXETER LIVE BETTER EXETER LIVE BETTER EXETER LIVE BETTER   EXETER LOCAL PLAN EXETER LOCAL PLAN EXETER LOCAL PLAN   EXETER PHOENIX EXETER PHOENIX EXETER PHOENIX   EXETER PRIDE EXETER PRIDE EXETER PRIDE   EXETER SCIENCE PARK EXETER SCIENCE PARK EXETER SCIENCE PARK   EXETER ST DAVID'S EXETER ST DAVID'S EXETER ST DAVID'S   EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY   EXETER CITY CENTRE EXETER CITY CENTRE EXETER CITY CENTRE   EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER   FREEDOM OF INFORMATION FREEDOM OF INFORMATION FREEDOM OF INFORMATION   FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER   GENERAL ELECTIONS GENERAL ELECTIONS GENERAL ELECTIONS   GUILDHALL GUILDHALL GUILDHALL   HARLEQUINS HARLEQUINS HARLEQUINS   HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP   HOUSING CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS   LGBTQIA+ LGBTQIA+ LGBTQIA+   LIBRARIES UNLIMITED LIBRARIES UNLIMITED LIBRARIES UNLIMITED   LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD   LIVEABLE EXETER LIVEABLE EXETER LIVEABLE EXETER   LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY   LOCAL ELECTIONS LOCAL ELECTIONS LOCAL ELECTIONS   MAKETANK MAKETANK MAKETANK   MARSH BARTON MARSH BARTON MARSH BARTON   MET OFFICE MET OFFICE MET OFFICE   MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL   NET ZERO EXETER NET ZERO EXETER NET ZERO EXETER   NORTHERNHAY GARDENS NORTHERNHAY GARDENS NORTHERNHAY GARDENS   OXYGEN HOUSE OXYGEN HOUSE OXYGEN HOUSE   PARIS STREET PARIS STREET PARIS STREET   PARKING PARKING PARKING   PENINSULA TRANSPORT PENINSULA TRANSPORT PENINSULA TRANSPORT   PLANNING POLICY PLANNING POLICY PLANNING POLICY   PRINCESSHAY PRINCESSHAY PRINCESSHAY   PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT   PUBLIC CONSULTATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION   PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH   PUBLIC PARKS PUBLIC PARKS PUBLIC PARKS   PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC REALM   PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT   RAMM RAMM RAMM   REFUSE & RECYCLING REFUSE & RECYCLING REFUSE & RECYCLING   RETROFIT RETROFIT RETROFIT   ROYAL DEVON NHS TRUST ROYAL DEVON NHS TRUST ROYAL DEVON NHS TRUST   SIDWELL STREET SIDWELL STREET SIDWELL STREET   SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION   SOUTH WEST WATER SOUTH WEST WATER SOUTH WEST WATER   SOUTHERNHAY SOUTHERNHAY SOUTHERNHAY   SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT   ST JAMES NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN ST JAMES NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN ST JAMES NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN   ST SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE ST SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE ST SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE   ST SIDWELL'S POINT ST SIDWELL'S POINT ST SIDWELL'S POINT   STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST   STUDENT ACCOMMODATION STUDENT ACCOMMODATION STUDENT ACCOMMODATION   TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL   UNIVERSITY OF EXETER UNIVERSITY OF EXETER UNIVERSITY OF EXETER   WATER LANE WATER LANE WATER LANE  

More stories