Agenda and draft minutes

Councillors are reminded of the need to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests that relate to business on the agenda and which have not already been included in the register of interests, before any discussion takes place on the item. Unless the interest is sensitive, you must also disclose the nature of the interest. In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, you must then leave the room and must not participate in any further discussion of the item. Councillors requiring clarification should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer prior to the day of the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made by Members.

To receive the minutes of the Strata – Joint Executive Committee held on 28 January 2026

Recommended that the Strata Business Plan be approved by the three partner Councils.

The Lord Mayor advised that these matters were resolved but had to be approved as Exeter City Council formed part of the Strata Executive Committee.

The Leader moved, and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations.

In moving the recommendations, the Leader thanked the team at Strata for their work and felt that the business case was clear and a large amount of work had gone into its completion.

To receive the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

The Leader moved, and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations.

The Strategic Director for Place presented the report, making the following points:

·        this was a community project and was rooted in the community;

·        it was in line with Exeter’s Corporate Plan, particularly People and Health;

·        approval would unlock significant external funding;

·        this project would support grassroots football;

·        the current facility was aging and many of the turf pitches were unusable in poor weather due to drainage;

·        the Council was working closely with Exeter City Community Trust;

·        planning permission for improvements had been granted in 2025;

·        significant improvements would be made in the pitches, accessibility, environment, and the experience of people using the facility;

·        there was also a commitment to biodiversity improvements;

·        £464,948.02 would be from s106;

·        this project had been identified as meeting the requirements to use s106 funding;

·        extensive community engagement with residents, clubs, school leagues and community groups had been carried out by ECCT;

·        feedback on this project had been overwhelmingly supportive;

·        one of the key hopes for this project was development of youth football, and football for women and girls;

·        close attention had been paid to the building design, and it would be up to BREEAM Excellent Standard;

·        the 3g pitch is a priority, and meetings would be had with Sport England and the Football Foundation; and

·        replanting of an orchard, and hedgerows and trees would take place.

In response to questions from Members, the Strategic Director for Place provided the following answers:

·        all the funding identified was from completed developments and had been received already;

·        there were currently no set performance objectives, but the Council were working with ECCT as part of the project;

·        using existing parts of the building was more cost effective than demolishing and starting again;

·        the infill of the artificial playing surface would be dealt with through the planning process; and

·        the disposal of the artificial playing surface at the end of its life span would be dealt with through the planning process.

During debate, Councillor Moore, as Leader of the Green Group made the following comments:

·        she was pleased to see this but wanted her concern about the material being used for the artificial pitch to be recorded;

·        the materials being used wouldn’t be taken out of use until 2031; and

·        this project was important for the community and was a good example of the community working with the Council.

Councillor Holland, as Leader of the Conservative Group, made the following comments:

·        he supported this with no reservation;

·        the Exeter City Community Trust were a fantastic partnership;

·        he welcomed the biodiversity that this project would bring; and

·        he hoped that thought would be put into the placement of the proposed orchard.

During debate, Members made the following comments:

·        this development could not come soon enough;

·        there was a shortage of football pitches in the city, and the use of 3g pitches would extend playability;

·        the 3g pitch would extend the capacity;

·        using s106 funding was fantastic, and provided an opportunity to use  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

To receive the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Councillors Asvachin and Begley declared an interest in this item they are both trustees of the Wonford Community Hub. Both Councillors left the room and did not return for the remainder of the meeting.

The Leader moved, and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations.

The Strategic Director for Place presented the report, making the following points:

·        the project had been paused due to insufficient funding previously;

·        Sport England had had a major contribution in the design process;

·        a variety of options have been looked at, and all costed between four and seven million pounds;

·        only two of the proposed options were considered supportable by Sport England;

·        the proposed design was not too different from previously granted planning permission;

·        pictures created with CGI showed the outlook through the development onto Ludwell Valley Park;

·        no new planning permission was required, but amendments to the existing planning permission would be needed;

·        the business case could not be completed without the design being confirmed;

·        to receive the funding agreement, Exeter City Council needed to match funding provided and deliver the project by Summer 2028;

·        this was a critical project, and is eligible for CIL funding;

·        after four years, the income generation would break even, which would be helped by not using capital borrowing;

·        the process could not be started until funding was secured,;

·        they would be looking for opportunities to limit carbon emissions;

·        the gateway to Ludwell Valley Park was a key part of the design; and

·        there was potential for broader community use, which could help to improve health outcomes.

In response to questions from Members, the Strategic Director for Place provided the following responses:

·        there would be minor amendments to the planning permission which would be delegated to officers;

·        the recommendation for this report had not changed following the funding announcement last week;

·        he would be meeting with the Place Partnership (Sport England) Manager to finalise decisions;

·        transport for the site would be dealt with through the planning process;

·        the application to amend the planning permission had yet to be submitted but there had been lots of engagement with the planning team;

·        s106 funding was included in the overall funding  of the scheme;

·        in order to complete the project, part of the building needed to be demolished so the lease needed to be ended;

·        a business plan would include the leisure services, and community element;

·        conversations would be had with the community to establish how this would work for them;

·        the tender process and costs would be dealt with as part of the next stage of the project;

·        5% contingency was the industry norm and the risk would be managed through the design process;

·        a risk remained in the procurement process but ultimately costs could be revised if necessary;

·        Devon County Council would be involved in the conversation about the lease;

·        Exeter City Council offered a subsidised leisure service to try and ensure that leisure was accessible; and

·        there were not a large number of external sources for funding, but there was still  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.