Exeter Council approves major 800‑unit Heavitree Road housing development

Exeter City Council has approved plans for a new housing development on Heavitree Road that will deliver more than 800 student flats and co-living studios, but the decision has drawn mixed reactions from residents, heritage groups, and local businesses.

The approved scheme, developed by NCO (Seven) Limited in partnership with Nixon Homes, will see 399 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) units and 414 co-living studios built across seven blocks up to six storeys high. 

The site, a former police station and magistrates’ court that has been derelict since 2021, will include 448 bicycle spaces, four disabled parking bays, and 20 per cent of the co-living units designated as affordable. 

The affordable units will be offered at discounted rent through a legally binding agreement, with eligibility determined by the council.

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An Exeter City Council spokesperson said the scheme “helps reduce pressure on Exeter’s conventional housing stock and contributes to housing supply in a sustainable central location.” 

The development also aligns with the Exeter Plan, which focuses growth on brownfield sites near the city centre, the spokesperson added.

While some residents welcomed the project, others voiced concerns about its scale and impact on the local area. 

Sarah Collins, who lives on Gladstone Road opposite the site, said she was “glad to see the derelict site being used again, but 800 units feels like a lot for such a tight area.” 

James Patel, another nearby resident, expressed worries over traffic and noise, saying, “I just hope the infrastructure can cope with so many new people moving in.”

Yet some residents remain wary. Laura Greene, who lives in the Heavitree area, said, “It will bring people here, which is good for business, but we need to watch how it affects traffic and parking.”

Heritage groups have also weighed in, Exeter Civic Society raised concerns about the height and massing of the buildings and their proximity to the locally listed St Luke’s College campus and nearby conservation areas. 

The society argued that, while redevelopment is welcome, the design risks dominating the streetscape.

The site’s architects, brown + company, worked with landscape designers Oobe to redesign the scheme following a previous refusal in 2023. 

That earlier proposal was dismissed by a planning inspector who concluded that the scale and appearance would cause “severe” harm to the character of the area. 

The current design breaks the development into smaller blocks, reduces building mass, and incorporates landscaping and outdoor communal spaces.

The co-living units will include shared kitchen-diners, lounges, workspaces, and courtyards, while the PBSA studios are sized between 17.5–27 square metres. 

Officers noted that communal spaces exceed minimum national standards and that professional management and 24-hour staff presence will help mitigate noise and disturbance to neighbours.

Nixon Homes, a family-run UK developer, and NCO (Seven) have highlighted the site as a key city-centre project in their wider portfolio. 

Nixon Homes specialises in residential and PBSA developments across the UK, while NCO (Seven) led the redesign of the Heavitree Road site to address previous planning concerns.

 Both companies have said the development will contribute to city-centre regeneration and sustainable living, although financial details and profit margins have not been publicly disclosed.

The development is expected to start construction later this year. 

Council planning officers recommended approval of the scheme, saying it would bring benefits including the redevelopment of a brownfield site, affordable co-living units and sustainable transport links.