A guide to help potential contributors develop their understanding of planning and place policy and practice in and around Exeter.
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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
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy South West England & South East Wales Science and Innovation Audit Sep 2016
- Heart of the South West Joint Committee
- Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) - doesn’t have direct role but has had significant indirect influence
- Devon County Council (DCC) – minerals and waste planning, structure plans abolished c.2000 - has important role in supplying transport recommendations to district level planning decisions
- Greater Exeter Strategic Plan (GESP) 2020-2040 - partnership between Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge district councils - endlessly delayed - draft Jan 2018 -> Jun 2019, publication Sep 2020, submission Mar 2021, hearings May 2021, adoption Dec 2021? cf. MHCLG Strategic Infrastructure Tariff
- East Devon District Council (EDDC) - planning authority for Cranbrook, Exeter & East Devon Growth Point/Enterprise Zone inc. Exeter Science Park, Skypark, Exeter airport
- Teignbridge District Council - planning authority for South West Exeter development
- Plymouth & South West Devon joint local plan 2014-2034 inc. West Devon and South Hams district councils
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
- News writing
- News brief
- What is news?
- Objectivity, neutrality, impartiality & balance
- Information sources
- Perspective sources
- Multimedia collateral & copyright
- Style
- Subediting
- Feature writing
- Research resources
- Data protection & media law
- Local government transparency & information access rights
- Exeter regional democracy & governance
- Exeter regional transport & mobility
- Digital information and communications security
Guides covering other Exeter regional policy and practice areas are also being prepared.