A new 'urban village' featuring 400 homes for rent and sale has been approved in Exeter.

Members of Exeter City Council voted in favour of planning permission for the project on a 15-acre brownfield site previously owned by Network Rail.

Designed by award-winning architects Darling Associates and led by developer Eutopia Homes, this £130 million scheme will create a new intergenerational community right in the heart of Exeter. Among the housing provision, 105 homes will be available for affordable and discount market rent, delivered alongside 65 extra-care beds.

The scheme has been designed with environmental sustainability at the forefront, setting new benchmarks for sustainable development locally and prioritising cycle and pedestrian mobility above car use.  

To help tackle car dependency and reduce CO2 emissions, only 0.4 car parking spaces will be provided per unit, with an on-site car club that will be operated through an app-based system. There will also be a new cycle path and over 1,000 bike spaces provided on-site as well as electric car and bike hire schemes to encourage more sustainable methods of travel.

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Future residents will benefit from new outdoor spaces such as public gardens, squares, footpaths, a woodland walk and fitness trail. In total, green spaces make up 65% of the 15-acre site.

Work is expected to begin on site later this year.

Scott Hammond, founder and CEO at Eutopia Homes, said: "Our plans will see the creation of a new urban village right in the heart of Exeter and will support the city’s long-term growth by providing much needed housing across a range of tenures and price-points.

"The whole design of the scheme was led by a commitment to sustainability and green place-making, turning a long dormant brownfield site into a thriving mixed community that serves people of all ages and incomes. The positive comments made by the planning committee, who praised the design ethos of a lower car dependency scheme, will help set new benchmarks for future development in Exeter."

Cristian Postans, director at Chenavari Investment Managers, added: "We are delighted to be supporting Eutopia Homes on the Exeter deal. The UK multifamily sector is a key area of focus for Chenavari and, together with best-in-class investment partners like Eutopia Homes, we continue to back deals with strong underlying fundamentals in core locations with favourable supply and demand dynamics such as Exeter."

(CM/MH)