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Greater Exeter Strategic Plan

North Gate – Central Growth Area

Site Reference: SA-EX-7

Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) sites included: ca15y7f

Parish(es): Not applicable

District(s): Exeter City Council

Site size: 3.9 hectares

Number of homes considered in Sustainability Appraisal Report: 181 – 216 homes

Indicative number of homes factoring in sensitivities and requirements (see below): 310 homes

Potential for employment use: Yes

Relationship with existing allocations and other potential GESP sites: The Guildhall and Harlequins Shopping Centres are identified as part of Exeter’s primary shopping area in the Exeter Local Plan First Review. The site is close to site option SA-EX-23 (South St, Market St and Fore St). The site is identified for future redevelopment in Exeter City Council’s Liveable Exeter Programme.

Planning status: Site has been the subject of numerous planning consents. The Harlequins Shopping Centre is currently the subject of a planning application for redevelopment including co-living apartments and a hotel.

Summary description of the site: Mixed-use site within Exeter’s urban area, including part of the Guildhall and all of the Harlequins Shopping Centres (developed in the 1980/90s), alongside the Guildhall and Mary Arches public car parks, a large listed Bingo Hall, smaller scale commercial uses and homes.

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 and to improve the setting of the City Wall and listed buildings
  • A proportion of the site 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 by landowners for redevelopment
  • There are on-going structural changes in the retail sector
  • Additional residents in this area could boost city centre viability

Sensitivities

The site has a number of sensitivities which development would need to take into account, including:

  • It includes existing businesses, homes and public car parks
  • It may contain important archaeological remains
  • It is in the City Centre Conservation Area and contains or lies close to the City Wall (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and numerous listed and locally listed buildings
  • 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 may be contaminated and is affected by dust, air and noise pollution from existing businesses and the transport network

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. 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:

  • Redevelopment for homes of the Harlequins Shopping Centre and for shops/offices/homes of suitable parts of the Guildhall Shopping Centre
  • The need to respect the privacy of existing dwellings located nearby
  • High quality, high density design that celebrates and preserves the site’s heritage assets
  • Significant enhancement of public realm and walking/cycling routes through the site, linked to the wider city
  • Measures to minimise car use, including car-free residential development supported by mores sustainable transport measures including car clubs and e-bikes and financial contributions towards highways junction improvements
  • 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 in Exeter

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