FAQs

Ultimately the decision on the location GP surgeries lies with the NHS.

Developer contributions, known as Section 106 funds, may be sought by NHS Devon who look after primary care such as GPs. This funding is used to provide physical facilities at GP surgeries, for example. NHS Devon, alongside GPs themselves, will decide how it best thinks S106 money is spent, for example by expanding existing facilities or providing new ones.

Hospitals such as the Royal Devon & Exeter are funded by central government from general taxation and National Insurance. The funding allocated each year is based on the amount of healthcare provided in the previous 12 months: this broadly reflects the number of people in the hospital’s catchment area.

Put simply, the more people live in an area, the more tax and National Insurance contributions will go to the RD&E.

As part of the S106 agreement for Water Lane, funds will be made available to contribute to a new primary school.

Ideally, we believe a new primary school could be provided close by as part of the wider Water Lane and Marsh Barton regeneration areas. But, as with GP surgeries, the final decision will be made by others. We are therefore liaising with Exeter City Council and Devon County Council to agree where a new school is needed and if so, where it would best be located within the wider Water Lane/Marsh Barton area.

Devon County Council, as the local education authority, will seek S106 funding based on the number of pupils it thinks will live in any new residential development, although if nearby schools have capacity this reduces the amount of money sought.

For example, the county council would estimate that 1,000 homes would see 250 primary pupils and 150 secondary pupils move to the area.

Department for Education figures show that West Exe, the local secondary school, has a capacity of 1,300 students with 1,148 on its roll, so has a spare capacity of 152 students at the moment.

Other developments may come forward in this area which would also mean more young people moving in, and so we cannot be definite with calculations at this stage – and which school children go to is also to some extent a matter of parental choice.

Exeter City Council’s ambition is to see brownfield sites being developed for mixed-use residential so that green fields around the city can be maintained to benefit people and nature. Planning policy therefore requires high-density development of good quality.

Making the best use of brownfield land means more green fields can be protected.

With Water Lane being so close to the city centre, higher-density development here means fewer car journeys and less pollution, less time spent in cars and more walking and cycling. It doesn’t need new roads off site, and doesn’t take up land currently being used to produce food or energy.

The proposal also seeks to provide a range of facilities and new infrastructure for the area. For example, retail outlets of various kinds need a certain number of customers nearby. Without a reasonable customer base, such outlets may not be sustainable and residents may need to travel further to meet their everyday needs.

Brownfield development is not as easy as building on green fields. There is an element of contamination here which needs to be addressed, an underground gas main and other infrastructure which need to be moved, and demolition and other costs which would not arise with a greenfield proposal. These costs are very significant and again mean a certain density needs to be achieved to meet these additional costs.

People living in the new Water Lane development will have excellent access to public transport, and many city centre facilities will be easily accessible on foot or by bike.

New residents and existing neighbours alike will be able to take advantage of the electric vehicles – cars, vans and bikes - provided on site by Co-Cars.

ONS figures from the Census 2021 indicate an existing low level of car ownership in the Water Lane area, relative to both the rest of Exeter and England as a whole.

According to the 2021 census, 30.6% of households in the Water Lane area either do not own or have access to a car or van. This figure is 25.4% for Exeter as a whole, and 23.3% for England. Almost half (42.7%) of people living in the Water Lane area travel less than 10km (approximately six miles) to work.

It is expected that with improved public transport, such as the new Marsh Barton railway station, and a new bus route serving the area, as well as better walking and cycling links, the proportion of people needing a car for day-to-day living will fall.

We are keen to promote the use of public transport, and active travel such as walking and cycling, as well as the use of EV car-sharing, but acknowledge that at the moment, some people will need their own private vehicles, particularly less mobile members of the community.

However, car-parks are being “future-proofed” so they can be easily be converted to other uses such as retail or leisure should levels of car ownership fall.

We know nearby areas have their own resident parking zones and we would not seek to allow residents of the new community to use these zones.

Exeter City Council’s policy is that 35% of the total housing provision should be made available as affordable housing for households whose housing needs are not met by the market. At least 70% of the affordable housing should be provided as social rented housing. The overall percentage of affordable housing and the tenure split will be subject to considerations of viability and feasibility.

When considering viability and feasibility, a range of factors will be considered, not least the higher cost of developing on brownfield land compared to greenfield. These additional costs at Water Lane include demolition of existing buildings, decontamination, and realignment of a gas main, none of which would be required on a greenfield site.

That said the Water Lane team does want to provide as much affordable housing for the people of the city as it can, within the constraints of viability and feasibility. Right now we can’t put a percentage on this, as future costs are hard to predict.

The mix of affordable will be agreed in due course with the city council which is the planning and housing authority. We do know that the greatest need in Exeter is for one-bedroom properties, either for single people or couples.

Of the 2,691 households on the waiting list in the city, 61% need one bedroom, with 21% needing two bedrooms, and 12% three bedrooms.

It is worth noting that, overwhelmingly, affordable housing in Devon goes to people from Devon or with a strong local connection (99% of all affordable housing lets in the county in 2021/22).

There are three main points to consider here. The first is working to ensure that in the construction phase, the buildings will produce as little carbon as possible. This can be achieved using the appropriate materials and methods, which will be determined at the full planning permission stage.

The second point is to ensure that the buildings are designed to be low-carbon throughout their lifetime. This means making sure that they are well insulated, so need minimal heating and cooling.

The third point is to maximise renewable energy generation. A Water Lane power network is proposed, based on generation of electricity via roof-mounted solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels and potentially PV panels on some building elevations. The PV panels would feed power to a smart-grid to meet demand in homes, other buildings and electric vehicle charging requirements. At times of power generation exceeding demand, electricity would be stored in batteries for later use.

A series of heat networks is proposed, based on ground/air source heat pumps feeding into the network to supply heating to homes and other buildings, with any excess heat retained in thermal stores for later use. The heat pumps would be powered by electricity generated by the solar PV panels and, when required, electricity drawn from renewable power supplies via the grid.

The Environment Agency’s flood map for planning shows the majority of the site is in Flood Zone 3, as are many existing homes and businesses in the city. We are working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that the new homes and other uses are safe and to improve the situation for existing residents.

A range of measures will ensure the safety of future residents by making sure, for instance, that homes have floor levels raised above any expected flood levels. Most apartments, for instance, would be above non-residential uses, such as community spaces and employment units. The site could also incorporate rain gardens, sustainable drainage systems, and new flood protection and resilience measures.

In an extreme flood event there would be plenty of warning. We are also working with Exeter City Council to provide a means of access and escape that can form part of a route serving the wider area.

The boundary of this site reflects the area under the control of the Water Lane DMC. The June 2022 consultation and exhibition looked at a masterplan for the whole area prepared by our architects for the council’s consideration.

The outline planning application won’t seek approval for individual building heights but will set limits for the detailed design stage to follow.

The aim is to optimise use of this brownfield land. The urban environment is primarily experienced at street level and therefore detailed design will place an emphasis on creating streets for people with well-defined street frontages to provide an experience of good quality, characterful and active street frontages.

Building heights will respect the existing residents with a lower scale next to these neighbours and a gradation of increased height towards the south along the railway line, taking account of the need to also retain important views and contribute positively to Exeter’s skyline.

The development is being designed for sustainable lifestyles with a travel emphasis on walking, cycling and public transport. Car parking will be provided at a ratio of one space for every five homes, supported by the mobility hub providing shared electric cars and bikes, a bus service through the site and easy access to Marsh Barton station.

The streets and spaces will be designed to deter indiscriminate parking and existing residential area swill be protected by resident permits not being available to new residents within the development.