Have your say on redevelopment proposals for Clarendon House

People living and working in central Exeter are being invited to give their views on proposals for redevelopment of Clarendon House. The building sits at the junction of Western Way and Heavitree Road and is currently part-occupied by the Job Centre but has been earmarked for redevelopment within the draft Exeter Local Plan.

Developer Zinc Real Estate is proposing a high quality development of purpose-built student accommodation, comprising  c.350 student bedrooms and ground floor student amenity space together with enhancements to the public realm and street frontage. Building blocks will vary from 6 to 16 storeys in height, with the tallest element on the northern edge of the site, adjacent to the Leonardo Hotel.

This brownfield site sits within the East Gate opportunity area identified within the Exeter Plan. The area is seeing significant regeneration, with the new Leisure Centre and Bus Station acting as catalysts, and the site is deemed ideal for purpose-built student accommodation due to its sustainable city centre location and proximity to the busy roundabout.

“Our vision is to create an exemplar development of purpose-built student accommodation that meets the existing and emerging needs of the University of Exeter“ said Bob van den Bichelaer, Chief Development Officer at Zinc Real Estate. “We see an opportunity to create an exceptional landmark building marking the entrance to the City Centre alongside significant improvements to the surrounding public realm which will offer improved connectivity for local residents through to the city centre.”

Other features of the scheme include a landscaped public courtyard; a new pedestrian link from the triangle car park through to Western Way; enhanced pedestrian/cycle links across the roundabout into the city centre; and commercial space on the ground floor to support business start-ups.

“Given its central and accessible location, this is an ideal place for incubator space for local businesses and initiatives,” said Bob. “We’re keen to provide a launch pad for new businesses in Exeter and want to incorporate ideas from local residents and stakeholders to ensure its success.”

From 7 December the consultation material will be available to view online at  https://bit.ly/ClarendonExeter where you can find out more about the proposals and give your feedback.

The project team is hosting a staffed drop-in session at a public exhibition on Thursday 7 December from 4pm –7pm at Venaspace, The Mount, 72 Paris St, Exeter EX1 2JY, where representatives from Zinc Real Estate and their design and planning team will be on hand to talk through the proposals and answer questions.

Feedback from this period of consultation will help shape the more developed design proposals. A second round of engagement will take place early in the New Year ahead of  submission of a planning application to Exeter City Council.