York firm sees major housing project approved in Exeter
Award-winning York-based architects brown + company have won approval for a major housing project in Exeter.
Plans to build more than 800 studios and student flats at a gateway site on the edge of the city centre have finally been given the green light by planners.
A total of 399 student flats and 414 co-living studios will be constructed in buildings up to
six storeys high on the brownfield site of an old police station and magistrates’ court.
Previous plans for the site - owned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and which has been derelict since 2021 - were originally refused by councillors and then on appeal because of fears they would harm the character of the area.
Now Exeter City Council’s planning committee approved brown + company’s designs for the
project by eight votes to two.
Rob Miller of brown + company, who designed the new plans, said: “This is tremendous news. We were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site and the reasons for previous refusals, so we needed to create a masterplan which both respected the character of the surrounding area and fulfilled our development brief.
“So, in collaboration with landscape architects Oobe, we have designed a high-quality, inclusive and accessible community. Situated to the east of Exeter’s city centre, opposite the historic St Luke’s College campus, this major development has been carefully planned to combine thoughtful architecture with comprehensive master-planning.”
Within the plans, the student flats and co-living units will be spread over seven blocks to be built on the site, which has been empty since 2021.
The co-living units are rental studios aimed at young professionals with shared kitchen, lounge and workspace facilities. The site will also be “car-free” with 448 bicycle spaces and 20 per cent of the units will be affordable.
Speakingon the history of the site, Mr Miller added: “In early 2024, we were commissioned by developers Nixon Homes and NCO (Seven) to lead a new vision for the site after a previous proposal was refused on appeal.
“The new scheme addresses key concerns from the rejected application—primarily around scale, site coverage, and local character. From the outset, we engaged with council officers, local councillors and the wider public to ensure a more contextually sensitive and community-focused approach.”
The scheme will deliver an over 10 per cent biodiversity net gain, according to the firm, through native planting and the addition of more than 150 new trees.
In the past year brown + company has worked on projects at St Peter’s School, Aparthotel Micklegate, 23 Piccadilly, 4-6 Parliament Street and the Mount Royale in York.