More student flats for Exeter?

Developer wants to turn vacant shops into bedrooms

Plans have been submitted to convert what were supposed to be ground-floor shops as part of a new student flats' development in Exeter into more student accommodation.

The scheme at The Depot, opposite the old bus station in the city centre along Summerland Street and Bampfylde Street, would see space set aside for retail to be used for a further 19 bedrooms, adding to the 715 rooms already there. 

in their application, a company called Mace  says it has done all it can to find retailers, but now they want to vary the planning permission for a number of the units.

They add that apart from the Co-op which has recently opened, there has been no confirmed interest from high street names or nationally recognised chains.

Mace has agreed terms with the Department for Work and Pensions for a new Job Centre to units on Belgrave Road, saying that as this is not what was originally intended, it underlines the fact that high street retail demand is currently dysfunctional.

It adds: “Several informal offers have been received at rates that are not commercially viable, or from start-up businesses who were unable to satisfy deposit requirements or did not understand the cost of the fit out required to these shell units.

“The agent has also been instructed to seek out ‘meanwhile’ or ‘pop-up’ uses so that the area appears animated rather than void, but no interest has been received in this regard. Extensive marketing has been undertaken to confirm that the ground floor units subject to the application proposals are unlikely to attract viable interest in the near future. This is also set against the backdrop of the current market conditions.

It adds: “Our application to extend student room provision therefore only partially moderates the retail provision rather than fully depleting or arguably even substantially reducing it.”

They plan to turn one retail unit into eight premium rooms and others into student flats and studios.

Exeter City Council will decide on the applications at a later date.