News
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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.
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.
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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Features
Stories that explore key issues behind the headlines
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.
25 stories for the 2025 summer recess
Catch up with a curated selection of Exeter Observer stories from the past twelve months while the team takes a short break from publishing to carry out essential maintenance and development work.
West Park redevelopment demolitions to proceed to enable intrusive unexploded ordnance surveys before works can begin
Five year-old University of Exeter plans to provide 2,000 new student bedspaces in blocks up to nine storeys tall by demolishing up to 30 buildings on fifteen acre Streatham campus site about to take seismic step towards delivery.
Proposed Mary Arches “co-living” blocks condemned as “slums of the future”
Eutopia Homes seeks full planning permission for 300-bed seven storey development at quadruple recommended local plan density without providing promised “research-based evidence for the need for co-living” on city centre car parks site.
Comment
Analysis and opinion that cuts through the noise
Labour councillors dive deeper into denial in decision to abandon Northbrook pool
Exeter residents mourn as council suppresses destructive consequences of creating St Sidwell’s Point complex that looms in leisure service shadows like a leviathan.
300-bed “co-living” blocks to trump social housing vision for Mary Arches car parks
More people could be crammed into Eutopia Homes complex than current car parking spaces after Exeter City Council commits to “homes for the people of Exeter” on Liveable Exeter North Gate site.
Devon & Torbay CCA sets sail for regional democratic deficit with £500,000 crew
Combined county authority throws public accountability overboard as future regional strategic governance body ratifies constitution at inaugural meeting but fails to explain why so many staff needed to deliver so little at such colossal cost.
Special Reports
In-depth insight about what's going on in Exeter that you won't find anywhere else
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.
Exeter City Council disregards national planning policy and Environment Agency criticism to approve Riverside Valley Park flood zone heat plant plans
Five gas boilers to provide 80% of “low-to-zero carbon” Grace Road Fields plant generation capacity for distribution to institutional consumers through privately-run 13-mile underground network expected to take ten years to complete.
Exeter City Council fields false prospectus in determination to close Northbrook pool
Ian Collinson reports double down on misrepresentation, material omission and flat denial as council plans to rend more of city’s fabric from its roots.
Campaigners compel Exeter City Council to reconsider Northbrook pool closure with 2,250-strong resident petition
Pressure on council intensifies after freedom of information request responses confirm £3.5 million budget cuts included potentially unlawful decision to close swimming pool without public consultation or impact assessment.
On Our Radar
Community and culture highlights curated by the Exeter Observer team
FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER TO SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2025
Exeter Contemporary Open 2025
Annual exhibition featuring fifteen contemporary visual artists from across the UK.
EXETER PHOENIX
WEDNESDAY 1 TO SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2025
Two Moors Festival
Chamber music festival celebrates 25th anniversary with performances, talks and workshops across fifteen venues.
DARTMOOR, EXMOOR & SURROUNDS
