Keep our reporting free for everyone to read  Upgrade to paid

COMMENT

It’s scrutiny Jim, but not as it should be

Martin Redfern

The city council kicked off a quartet of scrutiny meetings intended to pave the way for councillors to give Exeter Development Fund a green light with a session last night that resembled a sales pitch.

Instead of first focussing on substantive detail, then considering risk, before assessing possible benefits and the merits of any rationale, the council has arranged the sequence of meetings the other way around.

Karime Hassan was present to make the case for the project, but the only clue as to whether he was there to represent Exeter City Futures, where he now works two days a week, or the city council, where he remains chief executive for the other three, was his reluctance to answer questions.

Not content with controlling the agenda, the council sought to determine the meeting’s outcomes in advance and even went as far as suggesting questions that councillors might like to ask.

When committee members such as Amy Sparling had the temerity to head off-piste, by asking to what extent Net Zero Exeter plan delivery will rely on the development fund, the meeting’s chair stepped in. But not before Roli Martin, also pitching for Exeter City Futures, said he had no idea.

Keep our reporting free for everyone to read

Exeter Observer's public interest publishing is paid for by a growing community of readers who each contribute to its running costs.

They enable us to keep our journalism free for thousands of people who might otherwise never know about the things we report.

But it's not enough. We need more paying subscribers to keep our readers informed about what's really going on in our city.

135 of the 300 paying subscribers we need have taken the next step and signed up to support the independent journalism our city needs.

Help keep our reporting free for everyone to read by joining them today, from less than £2/week. We can't do it without you.

Upgrade to paid

More stories
Proposed revised Mary Arches Bartholomew Street East co-living block elevation

Mary Arches “co-living” developer resists “miniscule” room size criticisms as design revisions prompt further consultation

Changes include increased building footprints and removal of twelve rooms to provide eleven communal kitchens – between residents of 297 studios – while gates obstruct pedestrian thoroughfare and site’s historic setting and significance essentially ignored.

September 2025 permitted replacement scheme west elevation

Council denies data and contrives criteria to dismiss community balance concerns in third King Billy student block approval

Exeter Observer analysis finds more students living in city centre than residents as council bid to include PBSA in housing delivery figures weakens local planning policy – but does not remove it from decision-making altogether.

, updated

Grace Road Fields in March

Botched consultation restarted on sale of 8.5 acres of Riverside Valley Park green space

Council land disposal to include rights to lay underground distribution pipework across River Exe floodplain following “low-to-zero carbon” Grace Road Fields heat plant planning approval in face of Environment Agency sequential test concerns.

Exeter College and Petroc campuses map

Exeter College and Petroc merger set to create largest college group in South West

Colleges hold public consultation on creation of new organisation which they say would educate 16,000 students at Exeter and North Devon campuses and employ 2,000 staff with £100 million turnover.

Proposed Clarendon House student block aerial view

Proposals to replace Clarendon House with 297-bed student accommodation complex submitted for approval

Developer Zinc Real Estate arrives at final proposal for up to ten storey Paris Street roundabout redevelopment after nearly two years of informal public consultations and meetings with city councillors and officers.

On Our Radar
Play Interact Explore installation

SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER TO SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2025

Play Interact Explore

Theatre Alibi hosts an interactive exhibition suitable for all ages created by artists Leap then Look.

EMMANUEL HALL

Still from How the Little Mole Got His Trousers

SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2025

Nature’s Resources

A programme of six short animated films explores the relationship between humans and non-human species.

EXETER PHOENIX

Jo Eades

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2025

Spork! Dead Poets Slam 2025

Halloween spoken-word special featuring Jo Eades and Samuel L. Cohen with a £100 cash prize poetry slam.

EXETER PHOENIX