Future of controversial Devon County Council site set for key housing debate

The future of a controversial site on Devon County Council land could take a significant step forward, with proposals to consider affordable housing at the location.

The Matford offices site at County Hall, on Exeter’s Topsham Road, has previously been declared surplus land, but residents have opposed the potential development of housing there.

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The site will now be discussed at a Devon County Council cabinet meeting next week. 

Members will be asked to agree a recommendation to “consider the opportunity for the provision of affordable homes, care leaver housing and key worker housing”.

There had also been fears about the removal of well-established trees, as well as concerns that selling the site could lead to the closure of existing walking routes through the area.

However, a cabinet report appears to address those concerns, stating that there would be no significant tree removal and that any land disposal would “allow for the retention of routes frequently used by walkers and dog walkers”.

The council’s land and property committee agreed in January that the land was surplus to requirements. At the same meeting, however, officers were asked to examine whether any development could help deliver some of the council’s wider strategic objectives.

The cabinet will therefore decide whether to “prioritise an innovative approach for the site development that contributes to the council’s strategic plan ambitions and considers the opportunity for the provision of affordable homes, care leaver housing and key worker housing”.

Officers had previously warned that targeting the development solely for these uses could prove difficult, but said requiring a proportion of the homes to be affordable would be more realistic.

Although the land is owned by Devon County Council, any potential developer would still need to submit plans to Exeter City Council, which is the planning authority for the area.

The matter is also returning to cabinet because officers had earlier said the land represented less than five per cent of the existing public open space at the County Hall site. 

It has since been confirmed that the figure is actually 7.4 per cent, which the report states “requires correction”.

Ten complaints were submitted after the land and property committee’s decision in January. 

However, the decision to bring the matter back to cabinet had already been made before those complaints were lodged.

The cabinet will discuss the future of the site next Wednesday (11 March).