The St James Park Development - Q&A document Exeter City Football Club June 2015 - Exeter St James Forum
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P age |1
The St James Park
Development
Q&A document
Exeter City Football Club
June 2015
St James Park – Q&A document – June 2015P age |2
Contents
Project .............................................................................................................................................. 3
What is being proposed at St James Park? ......................................................................................... 3
Why this development?..................................................................................................................... 4
What will the key local benefits of these proposals be? ..................................................................... 4
The site ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Where will the development take place? ........................................................................................... 5
Will this affect any scheduled matches? ............................................................................................ 5
Will this change the stadium capacity? .............................................................................................. 5
Will there be any additional facilities provided as part of the plans? .................................................. 6
Who will the student accommodation be available to?...................................................................... 7
Who will operate and run the building and arrange lettings for students? ......................................... 7
How will the site be accessed? .......................................................................................................... 7
Will there be any jobs created on site? .............................................................................................. 7
The consultation ............................................................................................................................... 8
What is the consultation timetable? .................................................................................................. 8
What is the development timetable?................................................................................................. 8
When will we have more detailed plans available to look at? ............................................................ 8
Planning issues .................................................................................................................................. 9
Do these plans comply with the Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan? ............................................. 9
Has an application been submitted? When will it be submitted? ....................................................... 9
St James Park – Q&A document – June 2015P age |3
Project
What is being proposed at St James Park?
Exeter City Football Club (ECFC) is beginning public consultation and due diligence which will lead to
a planning application for a mixed use development which may include the following:
Demolition and rebuilding of the Stagecoach Family Stand on the Well Street side of the ground.
Relocation of and improvements to the player and referee changing facilities beneath the main
stand.
Significant improvements to other parts of the ground including the replacement and
enhancement of the toilet facilities for the Big Bank Stand.
An enabling development of approximately 320 student beds on land behind the Big Bank Stand
and two adjoining pieces of land, the Yeo and Davey site, and 20 Old Tiverton Road.
Approximately 350 sq. m of retail use in the form of a convenience store on the Yeo & Davey
site.
Consideration will also be given to the enhancement of the away end, if funds permit.
Who is going to be developing the site?
ECFC will be promoting these development proposals. Yelverton Properties will be the commercial
partner that will assist with the delivery of the proposals. Yelverton Properties was involved in the
successful redevelopment of the former Townsends site in the City Centre for a 492 bed student
scheme known as The Printworks. It is currently on site developing a new Pavilion for Exeter Cricket
Club and 159 student beds.
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Why this development?
Our proposals reflect the need to update the facilities that Exeter City FC has available to it, notably
the Stage Coach Family Stand. This is essential in order to enable a stable and prosperous future for
the club, and to enable the continuation of the charitable work that ECFC carries out in the local
area, through the Football In the Community and Senior Reds initiatives, as well as other branches of
the community outreach programme.
The inclusion of the proposals for student accommodation represents the ‘enabling’ component of
the development, which will finance the improvements to the stadium itself. A full programme of
public consultation will be undertaken in relation to the proposals before any plans are formally
submitted.
What will the key local benefits of these proposals be?
These proposals will enable the supporter-owned ECFC to remain as a financially viable business.
The proposals represent an improvement to spectator amenities. This will assist in attracting a
greater range of attendees (including families) to St James Park and create a more pleasant and
enjoyable visit for all attendees.
The replacement of the ageing and dilapidated Stagecoach Family Stand will dramatically improve
the appearance of the ground particularly when viewed from Well Street and further afield.
The new changing facilities under the main stand will represent a dramatic improvement over the
dated dressing rooms under the Family Stand and bring the Club’s facilities up to modern standards.
The enhancement of these facilities will ensure that ECFC remains a key asset in Exeter City’s
sporting, cultural, economic and recreational life.
Exeter University is a key driver of economic local economic growth. The proposed student beds,
located in close proximity to the Streatham Campus will help to accommodate the increase in
student numbers planned by the University in a purpose built, professionally managed environment.
St James Park – Q&A document – June 2015P age |5
Indeed, Exeter City Council’s Core Strategy aspires to deliver a greater quota of purpose-built
student accommodation in the city. This serves the purpose of meeting the demand placed by the
University’s growth agenda on accommodation in the city and freeing up Houses in Multiple
Occupation for long-term residents and families with housing need.
The site
Where will the development take place?
These plans relate to the current footprint of St James Park, the adjacent residential property at 20
Old Tiverton Road and the Yeo & Davey site beyond that. The land use that has accompanied this
press pack depicts the development area in more detail.
Will this affect any scheduled matches?
There will inevitably be a short term effect on ground capacity whilst the new Stagecoach Family
Stand is being built. Every effort will be made to phase the works in such a way as to minimise
disruption and the Club will retain close control to protect football at St James Park.
The development timetable means there is unlikely to be any effect on the 2015/2016 season at St
James Park.
It is anticipated that the student accommodation element will be completed by either September
2017 or September 2018.
Will this change the stadium capacity?
The existing ground capacity is 8,800, of which 3,800 are seated and 5,000 standing. There is the
possibility of a slight reduction in the seating capacity of the replacement Stagecoach Family Stand. If
funds are available, the away end will be improved by the addition of a covered stand for
approximately 1,000 spectators.
St James Park – Q&A document – June 2015P age |6
Will there be any additional facilities provided as part of the plans?
Yes, there are significant enhancements to the club facilities being proposed, including the
replacement of the Stagecoach Family Stand and better player and referee changing rooms.
Is another student development needed in Exeter?
Absolutely! The growth of university has been and continues to be a vital component in the
prosperity of Exeter. At the moment there are approximately 17,000 students studying at the
University, a figure which is predicted by the University to grow to 20,000 by 2020. There are
approximately 7,500 purpose-built student beds in Exeter.
The huge gap between the two sets of numbers is filled largely by houses in multiple occupation
which are ‘pepper-potted’ around the City and concentrated in a number of areas, including St
James. This concentration of often poorly-managed accommodation in residential areas has caused
problems which have been recognised by the City Council and also notably in the St James
Neighbourhood Plan.
The construction of high quality, professionally managed student accommodation is therefore
encouraged through the planning policies of the City Council as the means of feeing up houses for
use by other sections of the community. This reduces the problems associated with large numbers of
houses in multiple occupation and allows the University to fulfil its potential as a globally-renowned
institution.
In essence, it is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
How many student beds will be provided?
This scheme could deliver approximately 320 student beds. The accommodation provided will be a
mix of cluster and studio rooms with on-site management suite and common room.
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Who will the student accommodation be available to?
This accommodation will be available to any full-time student, as stated in Exeter City Council policy.
Who will operate and run the building and arrange lettings for students?
This student accommodation will be professionally managed on a direct-let basis. This will be
regulated by a Student Management Agreement which is required by Exeter City Council’s planning
policies and enforced through a Section 106 planning agreement.
This management company will also oversee the enforcing of the conditions of tenancies, including
relating to any resident parking conditions.
How will the site be accessed?
It is envisaged that the site access and egress will be taken via a one-way system. The potential
access/egress points are at Stadium Way and Old Tiverton Road.
Discussions and feedback on this decision will form an element of the public consultation discourse.
Additional provision will be made for refuse and emergency vehicles.
St James Park currently enjoys various pedestrian entrances, which will remain under the new
stadium provisions.
Will there be any jobs created on site?
The construction phase of the development will see a number of employment opportunities
provided, and Yelverton Properties will also endeavour to use local firms and suppliers wherever
possible. Additional local employment will also be created by the management responsibilities that
will be created on-site.
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These improvements and enhancements to ECFC will also allow existing jobs at the Club to remain in
place.
The consultation
What is the consultation timetable?
This programme of public consultation is envisaged to take around four months and we aspire to
have a planning application submitted in the autumn of 2015. This timeframe would anticipate a
planning decision being made by Exeter City Council sometime in the winter of 2015/16.
However, this is dependent upon a number of factors, including the results of – and length of – the
public consultation, planning permission being granted, and other factors.
What is the development timetable?
A planning decision for these proposals is anticipated sometime in the winter of 2015/16, although
this is subject to a number of factors. A construction timeframe will not be accurate until this
process has been concluded and so any prediction would be premature at this stage.
When will we have more detailed plans available to look at?
This first round of public consultation is designed to gather opinions and feedback on the initial
concepts behind the proposals. This public consultation will be held over two separate sessions on
Friday 24th July (2.00pm – 7.00pm) and Saturday 25th July (10.00am – 1.00pm). These sessions will
be held in The Grecian Lounge, Exeter City Football Club, St James Park, Stadium Way, Exeter EX4
6PX.
A second round of public consultation will present more detailed plans to local residents. These are
designed to provide a more detailed impression of how the wider proposals will interact with their
surroundings. These plans will also illustrate how the proposals will look from the outside.
This will take place in September.
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Planning issues
Do these plans comply with the Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan?
Yelverton Properties recognises the planning weight that the Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan
holds and fully intends to present plans that are consistent with the Plan’s provisions.
Specifically, these proposals have been devised with close consideration of policies C1 (‘Houses in
Multiple Occupation’), C2 (‘Large Scale Purpose Built Student Accommodation’), D1 (‘Good quality
design’) and SD1 (‘Football Club / Yeo and Davey Site’).
ECFC fully intends to embark upon an open dialogue with the Exeter St James Forum, and will
consult its membership and appropriate committees throughout this process.
Has an application been submitted? When will it be submitted?
An application has not yet been fully formulated. This public consultation is designed to gather the
widest possible range of opinions and responses to the proposed plans. An application will be
submitted to Exeter City Council only after all relevant stakeholders and groups have been consulted
regarding the detailed proposals.
It is hoped that this will occur in the autumn of 2015.
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