News
The independent public interest journalism Exeter needs
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.
Royal Devon NHS Trust resident doctors stage five-day strike from 7am Friday
Twelfth round of industrial action in long-running dispute over pay and employment conditions to go ahead following failed talks between British Medical Association and health secretary Wes Streeting.
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.
Features
Stories that explore key issues behind the headlines
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.
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.
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.
Second undervalue sale of Clifton Hill sports centre site after buyback loss leaves city with £3m less than initial market value
Council sold land for £2.14m – at £2.11m discount – then bought it back for £3.037m before selling again for £3.375m at £425,000 discount with £225,000 sweetener after also agreeing to spend net £600,000 on preparation, marketing and disposal costs.
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
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.
South West peninsula devolution in disarray as Devon, Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay & Cornwall seek conflicting goals and seven Devon districts left out in cold
Contempt for local democracy laid bare by unlawful County Hall failure to publish plan to postpone local elections while Westminster looks set to back local Labour bids for disproportionate influence in regional governance reorganisation.
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Council sinks additional £1.25m into struggling Exeter Science Park as company unable to repay £7m debts
Serial scrutiny failures continue as emergency meeting held to increase city council exposure to joint venture to more than £2 million on top of £450,000 project costs plus £950,000 guarantee but rescue plan risks repeating earlier strategic mistakes.
On Our Radar
Community and culture highlights curated by the Exeter Observer team
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
SATURDAY 2 AUGUST 2025
Three Acres And A Cow
A history of land rights and protest in England told in folk song, story and poetry.
SIDWELL STREET METHODIST CHURCH
