More time to contribute to major plan shaping future of Exeter

PEOPLE are being given an extra fortnight to comment on a major new plan that will shape the future of Exeter for the next 20 years.

Once finalised, the long-awaited Exeter Plan – the first new local plan for the city in a decade – will be the blueprint for the city’s future development.

An initial eight-week consultation on the first draft has been extended by a further two weeks, meaning it will be open until Monday, December 19. More consultations will follow before the plan is refined and eventually adopted. It addresses issues like climate change, homes and jobs, the future of high streets, transport and infrastructure and design quality. Around 30 policies are included, reflecting points raised from the first consultation on the emerging plan in 2021.

Based on the Government’s calculation that Exeter needs to provide 650 homes a year, a number of locations are identified in the draft. These include eight large strategic places, smaller council-owned sites, those promoted by third parties, and a small number of allocated sites not yet built on.

Introducing the plan to Exeter City Council’s executive in September, Ian Collinson, the council’s director of city development, said: “I’ve not seen another statutory local plan anywhere in the country that has brought together the vision for the place in the way that we’ve done here.”

A report will be brought back to the council’s executive, exploring the comments made in the consultation. Further consultation will then be held next year. To view the plan, go to https://exeterplan.commonplace.is