Agenda and draft minutes

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2026.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2026 were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as correct.

No declarations of interest were made by Members.

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

The Chair invited Councillor Wetenhall to speak under Standing Order No. 44, who made reference to:

·       submitting a formal objection to the application relating to massing, design, and impacts on streets in Newtown;

·       supported the RSPB request for 24 swift boxes instead of 6, and described as an easy improvement;

·       expressed strong concerns that the applicant and Devon County Council had failed to present a clear and honest picture of transport impacts in the area;

·       Garden Lane was attractive in principle, but its design was pedestrian-only, which was unrealistic;

·       Garden Lane would likely become a desired line for cyclists, creating conflicts and the Police Designing Out Crime Officer comments acknowledges pedestrians needed protection from cyclists;

·       Garden Lane had been assumed to operate as a shared pedestrian–cyclist route, despite not being designed for dual use, and would require reconsideration if the application were approved;

·       the application provided a misleading and simplistic picture for the walking and cycling connectivity, relying on limited extracts from the Exeter Cycling Plan, lacking real world experiences;

·       the Paris Street and Western Way roundabout was described as extremely unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists and concerns had been raised, supported by written evidence and previous surveys, had not been addressed;

·       Heavitree Road was unsafe for cyclists, especially uphill towards Waitrose;

·       using Active Travel England’s Route Check or Area Route Check tool was recommended to assess safety against national criteria;

·       introducing a large student population could put students at risk without further assessment;

·       recent PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) briefings indicated a decline in student numbers, current PBSA provisions being sufficient and an excessive concentration in the city centre;

·       the site was suitable for high-quality residential flats, not just PBSA; and

·       urged the Planning committee to challenge the assumption that the site was only suitable for PBSA and to consider alternative residential use.

In responses to questions from Members, Councillor Wetenhall made the following further comments:

·       there was no formal cycle route in the area, with cyclists currently using the carriageway and main approaches such as Heavitree Road lacking marked cycle lanes;

·       the existing gap between Triangle and Western Way was already used by both cyclists and pedestrians, and any new design created by the development would also attract cycle use;

·       the pedestrian crossing being moved to align with Garden Lane, would encourage greater pedestrian and cyclist movement in that direction; and

·       cyclists using the alternative route would technically need to dismount and push the bikes, which did always happen.

The Chair invited Mr Keith Lewis, to speak for five minutes, against the application, who made the following points:

·       the Exeter Civic Society had submitted two letters of objection, including one following an assessment against the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Historic England guidance, and impacts on heritage views;

·       the applicant and officers had failed to comply with NPPF paragraphs 200 and 202, which required harm to heritage assets to be avoided or minimised;

·       the design prioritised maximising height and room numbers, rather than reducing harm to Exeter’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

The meeting was briefly adjourned at 21:01 and resumed at 21:03.

Chair invited questions or comments but none were raised.

The report of the Strategic Director for Place was noted.

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

A Member enquired whether the number of appeals listed was unusually high and asked if there had been a recent increase compared to typical levels?

The Strategic Director for Place advised he did not have the data to confirm but could review whether a pattern existed.

A Member clarified that many of the appeals related to the similar BT applications to remove phone boxes and install illuminated advertising panels. They had  submitted separately due to different locations. The Strategic Director for Place advised that he was aware of these proposals and that they do need to be given careful consideration due to their size and prominence.

No further questions were raised and the report of the Strategic Director for Place was noted.