Exeter regional planning & place

A guide to help potential contributors develop their understanding of planning and place policy and practice in and around Exeter.

If you are considering contributing to Exeter Observer please see our contributors guide.

This guide is work in progress, and may require revision: please get in touch with any corrections or suggestions for additional content, including key documents.

National planning framework

  • 1947 Town & Country Planning Act - “nationalisation” of land, urban sprawl, post-war context
  • Labour regional spatial strategies, would have gone to now-defunct Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)
  • 2000s - 20+ Planning Policy Statements
  • 2010 - National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Infrastructure policy statements, all intended to short circuit traditional system

NB don’t attempt to master the detail!

Regional planning

Local planning

  • Exeter City Council (ECC) Local Plan

    • Composition
    • Process for adoption
    • Five year land supply problem
    • Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) cf. PBSA
    • Neighbourhood Plans inc. Ide, St James

Key issues

  • St. Sidwell’s Point - bus station redevelopment + Passivhaus leisure centre inc. Paris Street closure?
  • Citypoint inc. build to rent/co-living?
  • Liveable Exeter “Transformational housing delivery programme” inc. Future Places scheme
  • Exeter City Group inc. Exeter City Living - capital and revenue financing, Clifton Hill sports centre site
  • Housing Revenue Account and Prudential borrowing limits
  • Purpose Build Student Accommodation (PBSA) - St James Article 4 Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
  • Housing costs vs wages - Exeter now sixth least affordable city in country
  • Eastwards development inc. Cranbrook, Monkerton, Newcourt + Growth Point/Enterprise Zone inc. science park/skypark/airport, Sandy Gate + retail sites inc. Moor Exchange, Middlemoor (D&C Police), Western Power Distribution
  • Ikea - 28,000m2 retail, parking for 1000 cars, generating 390,000 linked journeys into city centre each year
  • Exeter College Hele Road redevelopment
  • Royal Clarence Hotel
  • South Street regeneration inc. closure?
  • Corn Exchange revelopment vs. purpose-built performance venue
  • Exeter City Council surface car park redevelopment
  • Exeter Quay inc. Mallison bridge
  • Cranbrook

  • Building Greater Exeter skills initiative

Key documents

  • ECC core strategy DPD adopted Feb 2012
  • ECC Exeter city centre vision for a green capital Apr 2011
  • ECC housing strategy 2016-2020
  • ECC Liveable Exeter Feb 2019
  • ECC local development scheme Jan 2017
  • ECC South Street urban design proposals Aug 2018
  • ECC St. Sidwell’s Point Dec 2018
  • Exeter & East Devon Growth Point LGA case study Jul 2017
  • Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan Mar 2013
  • ECC Exeter strategic housing land availability assessment (revised) 2015

More guides

Guides covering other Exeter regional policy and practice areas are also being prepared.

Recent stories
Exeter City Council 2022 annual meeting 17 May 2022

ANALYSIS  ⁄  DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE

Labour councillors appointed to all fourteen city council committee chairs at annual meeting

Council leader falsely claims "overwhelming majority" voted Labour in Exeter local elections while circumvention of council decision-making scrutiny continues.

Exeter City Council party seat distribution after 2022 local elections

ANALYSIS  ⁄  DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE

Greens take three seats from Labour so Progressive Group replaces Conservatives as official opposition

Conservative loss in Topsham among significant vote share changes in 2022 Exeter City Council elections suggesting city's political landscape in flux.

2022-23 band D council tax charges ranges (England)

ANALYSIS  ⁄  DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Coda: Council tax

The last part of our 2022 local elections series is a coda examining Exeter Labour's claim that the city has one of the lowest rates of council tax in the country.

2022 Exeter local elections guide graphic

ANALYSIS  ⁄  DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE

2022 Exeter local elections guide

City council elections take place on Thursday 5 May. Our essential guide highlights who's standing where, wards to watch and what the results might look like and mean. We also outline their context and explain when, where and how to vote.

Climate delay discourse typology

ANALYSIS  ⁄  CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Part III: Climate & environment

The third in our 2022 local elections series examines Exeter Labour claims about climate crisis leadership, renewable energy, recycling, retrofitting and development standards as well as decisions to scrap council and city decarbonisation goals.

Exeter city councillors with low attendance levels during 2021-22 - stacked bar graph

ANALYSIS  ⁄  DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE

Low attendance levels among some councillors mean Exeter electors get varying value for their votes

As part of our 2022 Exeter local elections coverage we have assessed the past year's attendance figures for public council meetings as a measure of councillor commitment to their constituents.

More stories
Recent stories
Exeter City Council 2022 annual meeting 17 May 2022

Labour councillors appointed to all fourteen city council committee chairs at annual meeting

Exeter City Council party seat distribution after 2022 local elections

Greens take three seats from Labour so Progressive Group replaces Conservatives as official opposition

2022-23 band D council tax charges ranges (England)

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Coda: Council tax

2022 Exeter local elections guide graphic

2022 Exeter local elections guide

Climate delay discourse typology

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Part III: Climate & environment

More stories

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News
Net Zero Exeter 2030 plan cover edit

Exeter City Council abandons city 2030 decarbonisation "ambition"

Unannounced decision to exclude scope 3 emissions constituting around 43% of Exeter's carbon footprint from "net zero" plans effectively ensures city will not meet its decarbonisation goals.

Exeter Ukrainian refugee support hub Conversation Café

Ukrainian refugee support hub opens in Exeter city centre

Conversation Café pop-up offers information, resources, events and meeting space to help cut through the confusion surrounding the Homes for Ukraine scheme and enable Devon's response to the crisis.

Individual overseas ownership of Exeter property titles 2010 to 2021 bar chart

Individual overseas ownership of Exeter property triples in ten years

350% rise greater than in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, increasing housing costs, reducing home ownership levels and harming housing affordability.

All News
Analysis
Exeter City Council 2022 annual meeting 17 May 2022

Labour councillors appointed to all fourteen city council committee chairs at annual meeting

Council leader falsely claims "overwhelming majority" voted Labour in Exeter local elections while circumvention of council decision-making scrutiny continues.

Exeter City Council party seat distribution after 2022 local elections

Greens take three seats from Labour so Progressive Group replaces Conservatives as official opposition

Conservative loss in Topsham among significant vote share changes in 2022 Exeter City Council elections suggesting city's political landscape in flux.

2022-23 band D council tax charges ranges (England)

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Coda: Council tax

The last part of our 2022 local elections series is a coda examining Exeter Labour's claim that the city has one of the lowest rates of council tax in the country.

All Analysis
Comment
Cargo bike carrying kids in Exeter

If you think electric vehicles are the answer, you're asking the wrong question

Mike Walton of Exeter Cycling Campaign says we shouldn't be seduced by the motoring lobby into believing that electric cars can create the future we and our children need.

Net Zero Exeter logo

Is Exeter City Council going to abandon its Net Zero 2030 target?

Review suggests alignment with Devon Carbon Plan, currently aimed at 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050, citing "technical and financial challenges ahead", although change in policy would require decision by councillors after 6 May local elections.

Centre for Cities Exeter City Monitor graphic

Selective use of statistics presents an unbalanced account of Exeter's economic & environmental status

Exeter City Council's Chief Executive uses statistics to show the city in a good light, but in doing so presents a picture which omits important information about the city's true position.

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