PBSA Heavitree Road S.A.R.L. and the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) have submitted plans to knock down Exeter’s former police station and build more than 800 homes for university students and local people.
It would see the demolition of the existing buildings, including the former magistrates court, and would be replaced with a ‘mixed-use’ development of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and co-living spaces. If given planning approval by Exeter City Council, the development would have 399 student bedrooms and 414 co-living units.
The latest application is a revised and redesigned version of one previously rejected by the council. An earlier application was refused in February 2023 after nearly three years of wrangling.
The revised scheme has more co-living and less PBSA than the previous planning applications. The developers say it addresses and resolves the key concerns raised while the previous application was going through the council.
The schemes overall impact has been reduced. Planning consultancy DPP says the new designs have evolved in response to the public response it prompted and the reasons for its refusal.
Instead of the previously proposed two large buildings, the new design features seven smaller ones which are lower and take up less space. The blocks will now be between four and six storeys high, with the tallest ones on ‘less sensitive’ parts of the site.
The new plans include a new public route through the site as well as measures to minimise disruption to the environment. More than 150 new trees will also be planted.
