• Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
We Are South Devon
Advertisement
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
No Result
View All Result
We Are South Devon
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article

The Victorian Society: Historic Exeter deserves better

We Are South Devon by We Are South Devon
February 6, 2020
in Community News
The Victorian Society: Historic Exeter deserves better

From the Victorian society:

The Victorian Society has objected to proposed plans to build two blocks on the site of the Harlequins shopping centre within Exeter’s Central Conservation Area – which is characterised by predominantly low-rise 18th and 19th century buildings.

RelatedPosts

Mother promotes wider understanding of a condition that could have paralysed her

Wellswood in Bloom brings colour, creativity and community spirit to the village

New Cancer Care Collection launched in libraries across Devon & Torbay

The plans involve the demolition of the 1980s Harlequins Centre, which although not an architecturally significant building, it is relatively respectful of the surrounding townscape in terms of scale, and attempts to transition between the bulkier Guildhall shopping centre and the more modest buildings to the north and east. The proposed development, in contrast, would consist of two comparatively massive 7-storey blocks and have a highly negative impact on the surrounding streets within the conservation area, overshadowing the buildings, and obscuring the low-rise townscape of this area of the city. One of the buildings which would have its setting harmed would be the Grade II-listed Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Similarly, the nearby Grade II-listed Dispensary building to the north would effectively be dwarfed by the development behind it.

Olivia Stockdale, Conservation Adviser for the Victorian Society, states, ‘We have no objection to the principle of developing the site, but local planning authorities should look for proposals within Conservation Areas which, as the National Planning Policy Framework states, “enhance or better reveal their significance.” It is our view that the current proposal, rather than enhancing the significance, would instead damage it by nature of its massing and scale. The surrounding streets of low-rise buildings would be overshadowed, and other prominent buildings within the conservation area, undermined.’

The Victorian Society urge Exeter City Council to refuse consent for this scheme. Not only would the proposed development be grossly out of scale with its surroundings, it would set a precedent for further comparatively tall buildings in the area to be erected.

You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook or Twitter and keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.

Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Contact us

Related Posts

Mother promotes wider understanding of a condition that could have paralysed her
Community News

Mother promotes wider understanding of a condition that could have paralysed her

June 13, 2025
Wellswood in Bloom brings colour, creativity and community spirit to the village
Community News

Wellswood in Bloom brings colour, creativity and community spirit to the village

June 13, 2025
New Cancer Care Collection launched in libraries across Devon & Torbay
Community News

New Cancer Care Collection launched in libraries across Devon & Torbay

June 12, 2025
South West’s biggest american car show returns to Devon this June
Community News

South West’s biggest american car show returns to Devon this June

June 12, 2025
Community News

Man charged after attempted robbery at Torquay Post Office

June 12, 2025
Double bank closure blow for Torbay customers
Community News

Double bank closure blow for Torbay customers

June 12, 2025
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article

© 2023 We Are South Devon Brought to you by Griffiths Networking

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article

© 2023 We Are South Devon Brought to you by Griffiths Networking