News Archive

Saturday 28 September in Queen’s Crescent Garden from 11.00am to 2.00pm The Trust is hosting this University event for students and residents to mark the beginning of the new academic year. Open to all, on offer will be various events including FREE ICE CREAM. The Trust will be running its usual book and plant stalls and there will […]

On Saturday 29 June the St James community came together at the Trust’s annual summer fundraising event. Blessed with fine weather, friends and neighbours sought bargains at the plant and book stalls where business was brisk while home-made cakes, teas, coffee and squash were consumed at the refreshment stall. There were also parachute games, giant […]

The AGM held on 2 July was attended by 33 members including Board Members Robyn Connett (Chair), Paul Layton (Secretary), Rebecca Bower (Treasurer) and Harry Temple. Robyn welcomed members to the meeting and spoke to various aspects of the Annual Report concentrating particularly on the Queen’s Crescent Garden regeneration project and the Board’s continuing determination […]

Latest application for student accommodation on rear garden of 47 Union Road, REFUSED, with the adverse impact on community balance recognised Following his lost appeal against the refusal of an application for a 10 bed student block in the rear garden of his Union Road property, a 13 bed student HMO (advertised with double occupancy […]

All members are cordially invited to attend the AGM to be held on Tuesday 2 July 6.15pm St Sidwell’s Primary School York Road Exeter 6.15pm Registration 6.30pm Business Meeting followed by ‘Our Neighbourhood Plan – its achievements and lessons learned for a future Plan’ a presentation by Frazer Osment Chair of LDA Design co-architect of Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan Click […]

The Trust has learnt that the refusal of the application 21/1014/FUL for a 26 bed student accommodation block (PBSA) on the former Maximum Motors’ site in Howell Road (see News Archive for previous coverage relating to this proposal) has been overturned at appeal, although the related application for award of costs against the Council has […]

‘RE-CONSULTATION’ OF APPLICATION 23/0949/FUL NOW UNDERWAY What do YOU say? Have the revisions successfully transformed an unacceptably ‘poor response to the setting’ into a well-designed development St James’ needs? The original proposal, shown above, was highly and widely criticised by professionals as well as local residents in the many responses to the consultation last August […]

Recently installed CCTV comes to QCG The need for a camera in this position has long been considered very important by Exeter’s Community Safety Partnership and Dennis Cavanagh, ECC’s CCTV Control Centre Manager, is impressed by the far better coverage made available by this camera, not only of the Garden, but of Queen’s Crescent, Longbrook Street, and York Road, including […]

We know that many residents across St James appreciate the architectural heritage of the area and are keen to see the conservation areas enhanced. If this is you, this second application will certainly be one to which you will want to add your voice to a call for refusal. Application 23/1424/FUL, seeks to replace a […]

This follows a recent Appeal Decision Notice whereby H M Inspectorate upheld the City Council’s refusal decision of a 10 bed PBSA on the same footprint. The new proposal counts as a small PBSA in NP terms, and so Policy C3 which does not permit such development where it would ‘prejudice the objective of creating […]

The Trust has raised the awareness of ECC’s Heritage Officer, Owen Cambridge, to the recent wanton destruction of a medieval clay-bonded local Heavitree and red sandstone wall at the rear of 30 – 32 Longbrook Street that was clearly visible from King William Street. It stood on part of the combined site that was given […]

Many Members will recall the protracted process that finally led to permission being granted in 2018 for a purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) development on the former King Billy and Dunn’s Motor’s sites. Efforts in 2017 to persuade ECC to refuse the proposal for such use on grounds of community balance failed and sadly permission […]

The anticipated appeal against refusal of 21/1014/FUL, an application for 26 bed purpose built student accommodation on the former Maximum Motors site in Howell Road, has now been registered with ref no. APP/Y1110/W/23/3325492. The 80 individuals or community groups who submitted objections to this application over its protracted consultation periods can be assured that their […]

A number of Members have expressed concern that public access to the Valley might be curtailed under the plans being developed by Exeter University and have been anxiously awaiting the follow-up consultation which was initially scheduled for August, but postponed until now. We think many will decide that the delay was worthwhile; on studying the […]

As previously highlighted the Appeal Inspector upheld refusal to build student accommodation in the back garden of 47 Union Road (see here) but before waiting for the outcome of the appeal the same applicant submitted a similar application, 23/0652. This time proposing to swallow up the garden of 70 Pennsylvania Road, yet another student HMO […]

The Appeal Inspector has decided to dismiss the applicant’s appeal against the City Council’s refusal of 22/0397, an application for 10 bedroom purpose built student accommodation in the rear garden of 47 Union Road, itself a student House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) with a licence to accommodate 13 tenants. A victory for all those individuals […]

Application 23/1161/FUL: Construction of a three-storey building to create 3 x 2-bedroom flats and associated landscaping. Land Adjacent To No 14 Old Park Road/ Land To The Rear Of 67 And 69 Longbrook Street Old Park Road Exeter Please continue to help stem the tide; object by 29 October. The contributions of numerous Trust Members […]

This time an application to build a two storey purpose built student accommodation block comprising 6 bedrooms in the rear garden of 70 Pennsylvania Road. Clearly non-compliant with our Neighbourhood Plan by worsening community imbalance, it is over-intensification of building use in a garden which will impact on ecological benefits bordering as it does Devonshire […]

On Monday 4 September the outline planning application for up to 9 private residential flats on the site of former Maximum Motors garage in Howell Road was presented to Planning Committee. The planning officer recommended approval explaining that, at face value, the proposal was compliant with all relevant policies but grave concern over the genuine […]