Our Proposals
Our Vision
Our vision involves developing this site with specialist Retirement Living accommodation comprising of apartments with indoor communal facilities, high quality landscaped gardens and on-site car parking, complementing the area.
There is a real need for this type of housing in Exeter, with an ageing population and limited specialist accommodation for local older people to downsize to. Our proposals would help to address this issue, allowing local older people the opportunity to move into a more suitable home, while staying close to friends and family in Exeter.
The Site
The proposed site comprises of disused land that was once occupied by Bramdean School, located opposite the site access to the west. Residential properties lie adjacent to the site to the north, south and east.
The site is well located to provide a much-needed development for retirement accommodation, within 0.5 miles of the local amenities in Fore Street, such as a Co-Op, Post Office and Pharmacy.
The site is also well connected to regular transport links from South lawn Terrace, North Street and Fore Street, with regular bus services into Exeter City Centre, Honiton, Cranbrook and Axminster. As such, the site is well placed to deliver this type of development.
Our Proposals
The emerging proposals for the site comprise of:
- A high-quality Retirement Living development featuring around 36 one- and two-bedroom apartments.
- Shared facilities within the development, to include a communal lounge with a kitchenette and a hotel-style guest suite for when loved ones come to stay.
- A single building that is positioned in the centre of the site, to enable the provision of a resident’s garden to the east and a car park to the west for future homeowners, visitors and staff, with significant landscape buffers to the north and the south.
- Appropriate scale and massing for the site, respecting its context and neighbouring properties.
- A mixture of pastel shades of render, low level red brick walls and architectural metalwork.
- The design of the scheme has been carefully developed to reflect the surrounding area, with appropriately proportioned and articulated rendered elements, and a stepped eaves line.
- Sufficient levels of car parking on-site, with around 25 spaces, including disabled and electric vehicle charging bays, alongside internal mobility scooter storage space.
- Landscaping enhancements will be introduced in the parking area as well as between the building and the boundary on all sides, together with generous tree planting throughout the site. This will provide a green buffer between neighbouring properties.
- The substantial retention of the established trees around the boundaries of the site, ensuring that these key natural features maintain the existing setting within the site.
- Sustainability measures including EV charging points for all spaces, highly efficient materials to reduce heat loss, while also minimising the risk of overheating in the summer, a future-proof development, with no gas across the development.
Our proposal presents a valuable opportunity to bring forward a specialist retirement community in Heavitree, meeting a local need for this type of accommodation whilst releasing family-sized homes back onto the local market.
Our Approach to Design
Layout and appearance
As with every McCarthy Stone development, the feeling of community lies at the heart of the building, with communal spaces for the benefit of all residents. The proposed development has been centred around maintaining the current access point, that has allowed for green amenity space to the east of the building, with a communal lounge spilling out into a generous terrace and landscaped gardens.
Parking will be consolidated via the existing access and positioned to the west of the centrally based building. A clearly defined entrance into the building that creates a welcoming view upon arrival. Beyond the entrance lies the communal residents’ lounge, which overlooks the east-facing garden.
Scale and massing
A key driver of the proposals is to provide a development that respects surrounding properties, with a single Retirement Living building, which is up to 3-storeys in height.
The proposal takes shape in the form of a reinterpreted triptych of villas, centrally located on the plot and oriented on the north-south axis.
The proposed mass and orientation preserves existing mature trees, maintains a deep green buffer to street level and features articulated elevations.
Design
Our design approach has taken influence from the different building types identified within Heavitree and the Conservation Area. A varied collection of buildings of different shapes, sizes and heights are found within the vicinity of the site, including villas which contribute to a rich local character.
Our proposals look to take the form of a triptych of villas, as the most balanced solution in terms of presenting a slender building profile in relation to key views, while offering a design that is reflective of the local vernacular. The material palette has been developed to reflect the appearance of the surrounding area and includes a mixture of pastel shades of render, low level red brick walls, and architectural metalwork.
We are seeking to ensure that the design positively integrates and provides reference to the character and appearance of Heavitree and is sensitive to its position within the Conservation Area.
Our Approach to Highways
Access
The proposals will look to retain the existing access point located on Homefield Road (opposite the former Bramdean School) that will lead to the car park. This will ensure that the site can retain as many boundary trees as possible and retain its external feel within the existing street scene.
Parking
The proposal will offer on-site car parking that will be predominately screened by existing trees and hedgerows. The car parking area will include around 25 spaces for residents, staff and visitors.
The proposed development will include disabled spaces and electric vehicle charging facilities for each space.
McCarthy Stone developments, by their very nature, generate low traffic movements when compared with general market housing. Residents moving to a McCarthy Stone development tend to rely less on their car, and from McCarthy Stone’s experience, many relinquish it altogether after a year or so when they realise that it is no longer essential to maintaining their independence. Those residents who do own a car tend to use it outside of peak hours, and not on a daily basis.
Refuse and Servicing Strategy
Refuse and service vehicles will be able to conveniently service the scheme from within the internal car parking area and exit the site in a forward gear, to maintain highway safety. The internal refuse store is located on the west side of the building for easy access for both residents and refuse staff.
Construction Traffic
The timing and routing for construction traffic will be carefully considered with the planning and highway authorities to ensure minimal disruption to the local road network and that highway safety is maintained.
Our Approach to Outdoor Spaces
Site Landscaping Plan
CGI of the proposed outdoor space
We seek to ensure that all our developments have high-quality outside space for our residents to enjoy.
A new communal garden will be provided in our proposals for Heavitree. The site benefits from a planted buffer around the perimeter, which is proposed to be retained and enhanced.
Landscaping enhancements will also be introduced between the building and the boundary on all sides, together with retention of the majority of existing trees. New tree and hedgerow planting will also be included, to create a green buffer between the development and neighbouring properties.
Furthermore, all ground floor apartments with direct access to external ground levels have private patio amenity space, which is enclosed with landscaping to create private space separated from the communal gardens. All upper floor apartments have either private external balcony amenity space or ‘Juliet’ balconies.
Our developments are designed to blend in with their surroundings. We recognise that high quality gardens and landscaping turn a good development into a great one, and we are pleased that many of our schemes have won awards for their outside space.
As part of the submission of this application, a comprehensive landscaping strategy will be submitted.
Have your say
We want to hear your views on our emerging proposals for the project.