Stories by Martin Redfern
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.
Summerland Street “co-living” block build – and £200,000 CIL payment – postponed as council approves phased development
Demolition will secure permanent planning consent but leave city centre site in limbo with subsequent construction start date unknown.
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.
Barley Lane greenfield plans place persistent threat to Exeter’s north and north-west hills in spotlight
Council inability to identify sufficient land to meet government housing delivery targets leaves residents with faint hope of local plan policies preventing Nadder Park Road ridgeline development despite 175 public objections to scheme.
Unaudited 2024-25 city council accounts published for annual inspection period
Special information access rights enabling residents to examine records apply until 6 October after asset revaluation delayed publication from 1 July to 26 August.
Pre-application feedback sought on proposals for six storey Summerland Street student accommodation block
Redevelopment of Unit 1 nightclub and Best Tyre Auto Centre in Verney Street would add 180 beds to 1,575 student bedspaces in immediate area on top of 145 studios in consented but unbuilt Summerland Street “co-living” block.
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