St James neighbourhood plan wins huge support in referendum

The St James’ area. Image credit: Exeter City Council

Residents in the St James area overwhelmingly voted in favour of the St James Exeter Neighbourhood Plan in a recently held referendum.

Located between the University and the City Centre, approximately 52% of all residents in St James are believed to be students.

951 people voted “Yes” to the question: “Do you want Exeter City Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Exeter St James to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?” With only 64 people voting “No”, the overall approval rate of the Plan was 92%.

First discussed in May 2011, the Plan pledges to support the Council’s wishes to restrict the development of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Such shared student housing is believed to cause an imbalance between student and local residents in the area.

Other plans will involve improving the aesthetic appeal of St James by implementing a street tree planting campaign, and by developing Queens Crescent into an urban park or play area. The document will also encourage the growth of small scale businesses around Well Street, King William Street and Longbrook Street. It will also consider the potential of a St James market to sell local produce.

The result was hailed as a success on the Exeter St James online Forum: “By bringing the residents’ associations, Students’ Guild and many individual residents together, it’s been a successful enjoyable community initiative… Now we can work together to achieve the vision for a balanced and vibrant neighbourhood.”

One student living on Victoria Street agrees with the move to place restrictions on HMO development: “It makes sense because there’s too many student houses going spare here anyway,” she said. “The house I’m living in now hasn’t managed to get occupants for next year. So if it helps the balance between locals and students, it’s a great thing.”

Jasmine Gardosi, News Team

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Weekend weather causes havoc in Exeter

Photo credit: Estate Patrol

Adverse weather conditions over the weekend caused road closures in both the St. James’ and Pennsylvania areas of Exeter. Sustained heavy rainfall through Friday night caused the collapse of the embankment which supports the visitors’ stand of St. James’ Park Stadium, while a burst water main on Pennsylvania Road caused an excess of surface water which led to the closure of St. Germans Road for a period on Saturday afternoon.

The collapsed embankment is due to undergo repairs from today, amidst concerns that the collapse, which damaged a student’s car, might threaten Exeter City’s home fixture against Rochdale on Easter Monday. It was feared that the damaged wall might necessitate the closure of the visitor’s stand for the match, but Exeter City’s Chief Executive Julian Tagg is confident that the game will go ahead. Saying that an initial assessment of the damage cooled fears surrounding the fixture, he added that “it is yet another challenge which I have no doubt that the club and supporters will rise to and resolve as they always do.”

Firefighters were called to the scene early on Saturday morning after receiving a call about a collapsed structure with the possibility of people trapped, but the use of thermal imaging and a rescue dog soon showed that no people were hurt in the incident.

Photo credit: Owen Keating

St. Germans Road was also closed on Saturday afternoon after surface water on the road made driving unsafe. Both Maintenance and South West Water staff were on the scene, and the road was soon reopened. Despite warnings to the contrary, Exeposé understands that local water supply was not disrupted.

The weather outlook for Exeter is unlikely to improve this week, with freezing temperatures predicted up until Good Friday, when sleet is expected to create hazardous driving conditions that should last throughout the Easter weekend.

Owen Keating, News Editor