EXETER | The Gardens, Whipton - Vaughan Rd | Residential | Appr

Right, this thing is taking so bloody long that I figured we might as well make it its own thread before construction starts - if it ever does. What brought this to my attention today were the amended plans submitted to the portal, which don't provide much interesting information, aside from the fact that the total number of apartments has been reduced to 91.

Jexeter said:

Right, this thing is taking so bloody long that I figured we might as well make it its own thread before construction starts - if it ever does. What brought this to my attention today were the amended plans submitted to the portal, which don't provide much interesting information, aside from the fact that the total number of apartments has been reduced to 91.

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There is some activity here,was a couple of weeks ago with some digging and noticed after site being cleared a few small bits of equipment being delivered again?

cyril sneer said:

You lot sure they are not just doing land treatment work similar to what they stated they are doing at Clifton? I think we're be very generous to having this headed as under construction. I'm pretty sure ECL will make a big song and dance about it if and when they actually start heavy works.

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You are correct was some works on ECL site to clear weeds, I think may just be prospective works for potential builders to establish ground conditions. Whilst unit numbers gone down hasn't costs gone from £9m to £27m as reported by Exeter observer?

Coincidental timing... just 1 day after creating this thread, ECC have published a statement to their social media:

Good to see some indication this one might be getting off the ground soon. I know we all rib ECL on here but if they are going to be responsible for the majority of development on council land then it's important they actually start delivering so as to not hold the city back. In fairness, I think the design for this one is alright. The buildings look ok and there looks to be a fair amount of gardens for residents. It's better than Clifton which I don't think the buildings are a great design and appear to be of rabbit hutch proportions.

I agree Cyril. Although one thing I would alter about this scheme if I could would be to add some local amenities to the ground floor frontage onto Pinhoe Rd, like the little shops opposite. I know out-of-town shops are bad optics for the council, but including some commercial space would have had its benefits. Namely, contributing to Whipton being its own self-sufficient cluster with a 'centre' of its own for locals to use. If the commercial space ate into residential space too much, I'm sure that could be mitigated by slightly increasing the size of the blocks. Oh well. it doesn't ruin the project at all, I just think they missed out on something that could've improved it.

RickLW said:

They have built a big housing estate on the edge of Newton Abbot, Ashburton Road. They have included retail units and a largish car park. A good Coop, hairdressers, vets and a takeaway. It has proved very popular with people pooping in and out either living close or living nearby and driving in.

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But Whipton does not need such a thing, it already has two 'convienance stores' (Mcolls and MK Convienance) as well as a various takeaways and a pub. There is community build around those shops and, as with many places, adding to it would gain very little.

How difficult is it to retrospectively upgrade a building to higher efficiency standards? I wonder if there is anything they could do to Rennes House to not only make it look better but make it a little warmer also. I wonder why it was built? I could understand if there were a few blocks in the area but it's alone.

The council currently has a rolling program of upgrades to it's housing stock so it will be interesting to see what that actually includes.