Application for new liveable, waterside community for Exeter is submitted

 

A planning application for a pioneering new liveable, waterside community for Exeter has been submitted.

The application for the regeneration of Water Lane is for a mixed-use development, including up to 980 new homes, alongside new workspaces, an Exeter College building, shops, cafes, and community facilities. A hotel is also proposed, which would reduce the number of new homes.

The proposals also include a new energy centre, a mobility hub, public open spaces and new pedestrian and cycle routes.

Although an outline application, it also sets out design parameters for more detailed planning applications to be submitted in future.

The application is the result of years of work by the Water Lane Development Management Company (DMC) and its team, with lead consultant Nash Partnership, the 2023 South West Architect of the Year, covering urban design, architecture and planning. Nash Partnership has worked closely with the wider team, including Greenhalgh Landscape Architecture, Stantec, 3adapt, Oakford Archaeology and Richard Green Ecology.

The project has been developed through positive engagement with Exeter City Council, input from two public consultation events and advice from the Exeter Design Quality Partnership.

The Water Lane area, close to Exeter city centre, is made up of underused and semi-derelict land alongside the canal. It is a key “Liveable Exeter” site, where new homes and facilities on brownfield land could take pressure off the green fields and hills surrounding the city.

Richard Clarke, from Water Lane DMC, said: “Our vision for Water Lane is that it is a vibrant new community, with its own distinctive character and which is well connected to, and integrated with, its surroundings.

“It will be a place people enjoy being in for living, working and community life and, which helps to protect and enhance the natural world.

“This planning application is a major step in helping turn this vision into a reality for the people of Exeter.

“We have worked very closely with Exeter City Council, Devon County Council, the people of the area and other major stakeholders to reach this exciting milestone. We are particularly grateful to all the neighbours and local organisations who have joined in with our extensive consultation and helped us refine our proposals.

“Water Lane will provide a series of major benefits – not least hundreds of new homes for the people of Exeter within walking distance of the city centre.  These will be a mix of types and tenures to cater for a wide variety of people’s needs.

“It will also provide an enhanced canal frontage for water-related activity, walking and cycling and the potential for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the canal to link to the Riverside Valley Park and beyond, and new canal-side public space.

“There will be a local centre, with a shop and café, at Gabriel’s Wharf, as well as space to support community life, including boat storage, storage of shared equipment, and community events and activities.

“Our proposals also incorporate a new construction faculty for Exeter College as well as restaurants and co-working and flexible workspaces.

“An energy management centre will distribute power from rooftop PV panels.

“The use of air, ground and water-source heat pumps is also being explored, as is a connection to a new local smart heat network, to make Water Lane as environmentally friendly as possible.

“To reduce reliance on private vehicles, there will be a mobility and delivery hub providing shared parking, electric car and bike hire, and drop-off and pick-up facilities for deliveries.”

Exeter City Council will stage a fresh round of consultation before the application goes before the planning committee in due course.

Please use the navigation in the header to view the previous consultation material.