East Gate – Central Growth Area
Site Reference: SA-EX-19
Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) sites included: sd12vdm, 5w15y7x
Parish(es): Not applicable
District(s): Exeter City Council
Site size: 16.4 hectares
Number of homes considered in Sustainability Appraisal Report: 854-1,015
Indicative number of homes factoring in sensitivities and requirements (see below): 1,160 homes
Potential for employment use: Yes.
Relationship with existing allocations and other potential GESP sites: Part of the site is identified for mixed-use redevelopment in Policy CP3 of the Exeter Core Strategy (2006-2026). The site is identified for future redevelopment in Exeter City Council’s Liveable Exeter Programme.
Planning status: Consents for various uses across the area, recently including student accommodation, a new bus station and a leisure centre.
Summary description of the site: Mixed use area on the eastern side of Exeter city centre. Includes homes, business, leisure and institutional uses, a bus station and public car parks.
Opportunities
This site is identified for consideration in the GESP because:
- It provides an opportunity to make more efficient use of a brownfield site
- It has excellent access to public transport and is close to a wide range of job opportunities and facilities, giving the potential for car-free residential development
- It gives an opportunity to significantly enhance the appearance of the area
- A proportion of the site is in public sector ownership, enabling additional influence over design and delivery and the opportunity to reinvest proceeds into city improvements
- Part of the site has been put forward landowners for development
Sensitivities
The site has a number of sensitivities which development would need to take into account, including:
- It includes homes, businesses, institutional uses, public car parks and transport infrastructure
- It may impact upon the Exe Estuary, which is a Natura 2000 protected wildlife site sensitive to an increase in the number of visitors
- It contains a number of mature trees
- A small area of the site is affected by flooding
- It is affected by air and noise pollution from nearby roads and city-centre uses and may be contaminated
- It may contain archaeological remains, is close to a number of listed and locally listed buildings and is partly within a Conservation Area
Requirements
Planning requirements for the site will aim to create a great place to live and work, providing well designed new neighbourhoods with appropriate and well managed public open space and safe walking/ cycling routes serving. All sites will need to provide a mix of homes (including affordable and custom build), investment in low carbon energy and transport, high speed internet and wildlife enhancements.
More detail on these can be found in the policies within Section B of this document. Other emerging requirements include:
- A range of other uses including shops, leisure, community space and employment (including a relocated Civic Centre)
- High quality, high density design that provides a healthy living environment for new residents and protects heritage assets
- Development that respects the privacy of existing dwellings located nearby
- Measures to address the risk of flooding on site
- Car-free residential development supported by more sustainable transport measures including car clubs and e-bikes
- Significant enhancement of pedestrian/cycle routes and financial contributions to Heavitree Road public transport improvement corridor and city centre highways enhancements
- Funding of measures to reduce the impact on the Exe Estuary, including provision/contribution towards Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)
- Financial contributions towards the expansion of primary and secondary schools, medical facilities and utilities provision in Exeter