Architect secures approval for city housing scheme

An architectural firm has secured approval for an 800-property development.

Brown + Company has been backed to create an Exeter-based student flat and co-living studio scheme.

Bosses say the blueprint will transform a derelict police and crime commissioner base into a “high-quality, inclusive and accessible community”.

They add the venture will include 399 flats and 414 studios in buildings up to six storeys high on the site of a former police station and magistrates’ court in Heavitree Road.

The plans’ approval comes after a previous proposal was rejected by councillors amid fears it would damage the area’s character.

Rob Miller, of York-based Brown + Company, who designed the new plans, said: “This is tremendous news. 

“We were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site and the reasons for previous refusals, so we needed to create a masterplan which respected the character of the surrounding area and fulfilled our development brief.

“In collaboration with landscape architects Oobe, we have designed a high-quality, inclusive and accessible community.”

“The new scheme addresses key concerns from the rejected application, primarily around scale, site coverage and local character. 

“From the outset, we engaged with council officers, local councillors and the wider public to ensure a more contextually sensitive and community-focused approach.”

Brown + Company, which also has offices in Manchester and Edinburgh, works across the leisure, education, heritage, commercial and residential sectors, with recent projects in York including work on St Peter’s School, 23 Piccadilly and Mount Royale Hotel.

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