Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that:

1) the publication of the draft City Centre Strategy 2026 – 2031 be approved for public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks; and

2) delegated authority be granted to the Strategic Director for Place, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to change the consultation date if required.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report on the draft City Centre Strategy 2026 - 2031, entitled ‘Exeter: Our City Centre’, which was in the final stages of its development and that feedback was being sought from residents and the business community. As such the report was seeking authorisation from the Executive to go out to public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks.

The Strategic Director for Place in presenting the report made the following points:

·        the report was presented in conjunction with the Exeter Cultural Strategy 2026 – 2031, seeking approval to proceed to public consultation and neither strategy documents had been published at this time;

·        both strategies had been developed through extensive prior engagement with key stakeholders, supported by research and evidence gathering;

·        both documents followed a consistent structure: a clear vision, key themes, and supporting strategic actions;

·        subject to Executive approval, the documents would then be published for public consultation, with a view to reporting back to Executive to recommend Council approval in September 2026;

·        each strategy will develop more detailed action plans, which would be co-produced with stakeholders and partners, ensuring shared ownership while the Council provided leadership to bring them forward;

·        delivery would be supported by theme-based groups drawing on specialist expertise to help prepare the Council for future local government reorganisation, aligning with approaches already adopted in unitary authorities elsewhere;

·        a preview of the draft City Centre Strategy was provided and it was re-iterated that the final document had not yet been shared publicly;

·        the strategy was framed as a Council-led approach, setting new policy direction for the city centre;

·        work had commenced before the Covid pandemic, but had been paused, and since been re-shaped to reflect the changed economic conditions and high street challenges, with a focus on long-term resilience and placemaking;

·        engagement during 2024 included facilitated workshops with local businesses, community groups, and elected Members from both Devon County Council and Exeter City Council;

·        workshop discussions had explored challenges, opportunities, and priorities for the city centre, with feedback and anonymised quotes forming the strategy;

·        a resident survey findings highlighted the strong links between the city centre and culture, reinforcing the alignment between the strategies;

·        a soft city centre boundary was defined for the strategic purpose, which was rooted in historic geography, four key gateways, movement routes, and key assets (parks, heritage buildings, connections);

·        the strategy also set out a clear, accessible, and ambitious vision, reflecting stakeholder feedback;

·        six key themes had been identified during the process, which was based on engagement and evidence, and would be delivered through the detailed action plan;

·        the next steps, following Executive approval was to proceed to a six week public consultation, after the forthcoming local elections;

·        the consultation outcomes would be reported back to Executive, with any proposed amendments and recommendations for Full Council for adoption;

·        a detailed action plan, including outcomes, outputs, responsibilities, costs, and partner contributions would also be developed at the same time; and

·        all actions would be embedded within Council service plans,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127