Proposed new housing estate signs removed following vandalism

Two signs for a speculative high-end housing development in St Leonards were removed on Tuesday after they were repeatedly defaced by graffiti.  Burrington Estates had placed the signs, advertising the development, around the playing field site just before Easter.

The uniformed Estates’ staff member who was dismantling them said that he’d been "told to take them down" but didn’t know the reason why they were being removed.  One of the three signs, overlooking the St Leonards Road junction with the Topsham Road, remains.

The proposed development on the sports field, currently owned by the Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education, would be the second housing estate on the school’s site, following the successful planning application by the Acorn Property Group last year.  Acorn has detailed planning permission for the 8-acre brownfield site south of the road, that will see new premises for St Leonards pre-school alongside 146 homes, 68 assisted living units and a 61 bedroom care home.

Invitations to a pre-planning consultation were delivered to some residents in the area over the Easter holiday weekend.  The letter gave nine working days notice of the public event that will be held on the Tuesday after the Early May bank holiday.  The consultation meeting will provide details on its proposal to redevelop the playing field “into a high-quality housing development with new public realm” and be held at Burrington Estates head office in Southernhay.

There are currently no details on the company’s corporate website about the designs for the field, and the web address given in the invite takes you to a page saying "No Results Found”.  Nonetheless, the letter does reveal that the company plans to rebrand the Mount Radford Lawn playing field "St Leonards Park” if it successfully obtains planning permission to build on the greenfield site, which is located in the St Leonards Conservation Area.

The planning process will also require additional consultation with Sports England, a national organisation charged with protecting opportunities for sporting activity.  This is a particular concern following the closure of the Clifton Hill Sports Centre and the plans to sell part of Bull Meadow Park for two further housing estate developments in the area.

The public consultation will be held at Dean Clarke House, Southernhay East, EX1 1AP on Tuesday 7th May between 3pm and 8pm.