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People from across the city have been attending consultation events on the Exeter Plan and asking questions about the how policies will impact the city for the next twenty years.

Polices for the natural environment, climate change and active travel are the topics that, just like last year’s consultation, receive the most interest and feedback.

In fact, last year’s consultation feedback clearly showed that Exeter supports a sustainable agenda, including focus on brownfield development, with responses suggesting that the Exeter Plan should go further.

As such the full draft plan has been updated and now includes new policies on future development standards, embodied carbon, ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays and solar ready development.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for City Development, said: “The city’s ambition for climate and the natural environment is incredibly challenging, but the nature of the issue justifies. Success will only be achieved through a genuinely collective effort; we need all organisations, individuals and institutions to play their part.

"The Exeter Plan will need to manage development pressures on our local environment to provide benefits for landscape and wildlife, improve access to natural greenspaces and provide gains for wildlife. Whilst also helping us to combat climate change and provide a high-quality environment for people to enjoy.

"These policies impact every one of us living and working in Exeter. So please get involved with this consultation and tell us what you think. Your voice matters.”

There are just under two weeks until the City Council’s consultation on the Liveable Water Lane Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) ends.

The Liveable Water Lane Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will provide a vision, development framework and design code to guide future development in an area of the city around Water Lane.

The Council is consulting on the SPD until 4 December 2023.

We want to hear from our communities, businesses and stakeholders during the consultations as this is an important opportunity to shape the future this area of the city.

To have your say and get involved in the consultations

Public consultation for the Exeter Plan is well underway. And on Monday 6th November, City Council officers are holding a dedicated event for the Water Lane Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Water Lane, near Exeter’s historic canal and quayside, is one of the largest brownfield sites in the City Council’s Liveable Exeter initiative.

Water Lane provides an exciting opportunity to create new high-quality homes in a low-car neighbourhood that has good links to employment and the Riverside Valley Park.

The City Council want development at Water Lane to reflect the site’s rich industrial and water-related heritage and enhance community, cultural and sustainable travel facilities in the area. Development challenges include flood risk, restricted access, contamination and protecting the amenity of nearby residents.

To support this ambition, the City Council have produced the Liveable Water Lane Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The SPD includes:

- A Vision for the future of Water Lane

- A Development Framework for Water Lane

- A Design Code for Water Lane

The SPD will help to ensure that new development at Water Lane is co-ordinated, well designed and supported by necessary infrastructure. The City Council will use the SPD to help make decisions on planning applications for development at Water Lane.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for City Development, said:

“There has been an ambition to redevelop Water Lane for some time. The Quay area is already a great place and we want that to translate into Water Lane so that it is a community for everyone to live, work and enjoy. So, please take a look at the Water Lane SPD and let us know what you think.”

Residents, visitors and those working or studying in Exeter are getting another chance to help shape the future of their city.

Exeter City Council will be launching further public consultation on the Exeter Plan from Monday 23 October until 15 January.

The Council has written the draft Exeter Plan which looks at how the city will evolve over the next 20 years.

Once adopted, the Exeter Plan will replace the current planning policies for the city and include the locations of many of the developments which will be seen in future.

Councillor Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for City Development, said: “We are consulting on the Exeter Plan with all of our communities, businesses and partners across the city. The plan will touch the lives of everyone living in the city as well as those working, studying or visiting Exeter, so everyone needs to own it and have a say.

“Last year we had responses from so many people across the city, and their comments have been integral to developing the next version of the plan.

“Writing a plan of this kind is a significant and time-consuming endeavour but, as we are getting closer to a final version, I would encourage even more people to get involved this year and have their say on the future of Exeter.”

The Council is consulting on proposed changes to its planning policy on Houses in Multiple Occupation.

A HMO is a house occupied by three or more unrelated people as their only or main residence, with shared basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

HMOs can provide cheaper accommodation for people whose housing options are limited. They are commonly occupied students, but also by (e.g.) young professionals, migrant workers and people with specialist requirements who need this type of housing.

The City Council has a restriction in place that affects the ability to convert regular houses into HMOs. The restriction is called an Article 4 Direction and is in place to help manage the impacts of increased numbers of students in Exeter. The restriction covers an area close to the University of Exeter’s Streatham and St Luke’s campuses.

The City Council is consulting on:

- options to change the area covered by the Article 4 Direction where restrictions on HMOs apply

- some proposed changes to an existing HMO Supplementary Planning Document. This is a document that explains some of the issues that the City Council considers when making decisions on planning applications to convert regular houses to HMOs within the Article 4 area and

- the evidence behind the options and proposals.

The Council is consulting on the Exeter Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Draft Charging Schedule.

The CIL is a charge paid to the Council by some forms of new development, which is then invested in infrastructure and community services to make sure that the impact of new development is managed appropriately.

The Council intends to charge different rates of CIL according to the land use of a proposed development. There are exemptions for some types of development, including affordable housing.

The Council already operates with a CIL, but the rates were set back in 2013 and so need to be reviewed.

Consultation has been launched on the proposed CIL rates for different types of development, and people, can give their view by reviewing the draft charging schedule and completing the short questionnaire.

The proposed CIL rates are set out in the revised Community Infrastructure Levy Draft Charging Schedule.