THE EXETER DIGEST

Exeter Digest #63: South West Water performance - Harlequins viability - Victoria Street refusal - Princesshay sale

Plus community and culture for the coming week and a special Halloween events selection.

HEADLINES

South West Water ordered to repay £17.4 million to customers as poor performance penalty

Ofwat annual regulatory report finds company sewer collapse and serious pollution incident rates are worst in England and Wales, with customer satisfaction decline among largest in industry. Read more.

Developer says Harlequins “co-living” scheme viability requires on-site key worker accommodation removal

Proposal to shift financial risks on to city council comes four years after initial approval, citing falling property values and higher finance and construction costs. Read more.

Victoria Street “co-living” complex refused as “substandard level of accommodation”

Council confirms scheme would constitute “overdevelopment” but persists in promoting co-living as local housing solution, claiming lack of demand means “no evidence to demonstrate that it is not a suitable model” for Exeter. Read more.

Frasers buys Princesshay shopping centre as part of wider retail space acquisition

Mike Ashley-owned sports goods and retail group buys 400,000 square feet centre outright from The Crown Estate and Nuveen for a reported £80 million. Read more.

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ON OUR RADAR ~ COMING UP

Brillsville Market // St Thomas

Regular community-run market that offers goods from local growers, makers and traders with a repair cafe and more. More details.

Folk music night // Daily Bowl

Live music, food and drinks at regular Friday night event. More details.

Isca Ensemble 2024 celebration concert // Exeter Cathedral

An evening of classical music celebrating the life of Joanna Leach with soloist Kacper Nowak in aid of local charity Hospicare. More details.

ON OUR RADAR ~ HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Audience with a Ghost Hunter // St Nicholas Priory

An immersive after dark theatre experience in Exeter’s oldest building. More details.

Spork! Dead Poets Slam 2024 // Exeter Phoenix

A Halloween spoken-word poetry special featuring poet and artist Ella Frears. More details.

Día de Muertos // Daily Bowl

Live music, food and drinks in celebration of the Day of the Dead. More details.

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More stories
Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell, previous chief constable Will Kerr and interim chief constable James Vaughan

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning

Outcome of Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation delivered day before retirement of suspended chief constable Will Kerr announced, with Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez unwilling to say whether “golden handshake” agreed.

Newtown active travel scheme map

Newtown active travel scheme approved after four years of public consultations

Joint Devon County Council and Exeter City Council project includes road closure, car parking changes and contraflow Clifton Hill cycle lane.

South West peninsula 2025 spending review road and rail investment map

Dawlish rail resilience, Exeter A379 bridge renewal and Cullompton M5 J28 schemes all shelved after spending review

Government road and rail funding announcement billed as “the biggest boost to England's transport infrastructure in a generation” largely passes Devon and Cornwall by while leaving final phase of South West Rail Resilience Programme undelivered.

Illustrative floor plan of new redevelopment proposals

New Heavitree Road police station student accommodation and “co-living” complex proposals submitted to Exeter City council

Application for full planning permission for 813-room scheme in seven blocks follows decision to reject previously-proposed 955-room scheme in two blocks which was subsequently upheld at appeal.

Change in bus passenger journey numbers 2019-20 to 2023-24 by England local transport area bar chart

National Audit Office finds decline in Devon bus passenger journey numbers among largest in country

Devon journeys down 28% – seventh from bottom across 85 areas – while journeys in Cornwall increased by more than 40%.

Danny Barnes

Danny Barnes received full £15,000 Devon County Council allowance during 2024-25

Heavitree & Whipton Barton councillor failed to sign off £14,600 community grants after attending only two of fifteen public meetings and is alleged to have worked for Scottish Labour MP Imogen Walker since shortly after last year’s general elections.

, updated

On Our Radar
Summer at the Quayside illustration

TUESDAY 29 JULY TO FRIDAY 29 AUGUST 2025

Summer at the Quayside

A month of free family activities including weaving, felting, doodling and drumming.

EXETER QUAY

Spork! summer special

THURSDAY 31 JULY TO THURSDAY 14 AUGUST 2025

Theatre in the Park

Exeter Phoenix hosts an al fresco summer theatre season featuring Shakespeare, spoken-word poetry, puppetry and physical comedy.

ROUGEMONT GARDENS

Exeter quayside farmers market vegetables

SATURDAY 16 AUGUST 2025

Quayside Farmers’ Market

Monthly market offering local produce, hand-made goods, plants, cakes and more.

EXETER QUAY