UK: Developers NCO (Seven) Limited and Nixon Homes Limited have submitted a full planning application to Exeter City Council for a mixed student accommodation and co-living scheme on the site of the former police station and magistrates court on Heavitree Road.
Plans were earlier this month, following the rejection of a previous 955-room scheme in February 2023, which was later upheld at appeal, with the planning inspector concluding the buildings would appear “vastly larger than any other nearby building”.
The new application seeks permission for an 813-room development across seven blocks of up to six storeys, reducing the overall height and massing compared to the rejected scheme.
The scheme includes 399 student rooms and 414 co-living units, with the latter intended for residents “transitioning from purpose-built student accommodation,” according to planning agent DPP Planning.
Architect Brown & Company says the updated plans are designed to align with the Exeter Local Plan by providing additional affordable homes, while reducing the impact on the surrounding two-storey residential areas of Higher and Lower Summerlands.
The proposed six-storey student block is described as “appropriately scaled” for the area, comparable in height to the neighbouring Gorge co-living building.
The plans include pedestrian and cycle access through the site from St Matthew’s Close, proposed as publicly accessible during limited hours, alongside an improved pedestrian crossing and a student reception area replacing a previously proposed ground floor café.
The development will offer shared amenities, though the proposals contain conflicting figures regarding internal amenity space provision, with Brown & Company stating 1,409 sq m for co-living blocks while other documents suggest 655 square metres.
Pre-application consultations last autumn for an earlier iteration of the scheme prompted mixed feedback, with only six of 22 public responses in support.
Comments on the application can be submitted to Exeter City Council until Sunday 20 July.
Highlights:
– Full planning application submitted for an 813-room student and co-living complex on the former Heavitree Road police station site in Exeter.
– New scheme in seven blocks replaces a previously rejected 955-room, two-block proposal.
– Plans include 399 student rooms and 414 co-living rooms across blocks of up to six storeys.
– Developers claim the revised design addresses previous concerns over scale, massing, and local context.
– Comments on the application can be submitted until 20 July via Exeter City Council’s website.
