Consultation process this week
Development proposals for St James Park will be presented to local residents and Exeter City supporters at a public event this week.The plans, which are being devised by Exeter City, could involve significant improvements to the spectator facilities at St James Park. An enabling development of student accommodation is also proposed on a part of the site, which will directly benefit the stadium enhancements themselves.
The Club intends to consult the community as widely as possible in the process of formulating these proposals. This will involve discussions with local residents, Club supporters, community groups, local businesses and political stakeholders. It is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted to Exeter City Council later in the year.
This event has been organised to allow local residents and Club supporters to view the emerging plans in more detail and discuss the proposals with the development team. Although initial ideas for the development proposals were launched in June, the plans are still at an early design stage.
Exeter City Football Club would like to encourage interested parties to attend the event and provide their comments to the development team.
The event will be held across two separate sessions, in order to provide as much opportunity for local residents and Club supporters to attend as possible. These family-friendly events will be held in The Grecian Lounge, Exeter City Football Club, St James Park, Stadium Way, Exeter, EX4 6PX. These sessions will be held on:
• Friday 24th July (2pm-7pm)
• Saturday 25th July (10am-1pm)
A purpose-built website has been set up to provide further information on the public consultation process, design images and sketches as they emerge and to provide an opportunity to leave feedback. This will be updated throughout the consultation process and is available at www.thestjamesparkdevelopment.com.
The project team is also available through the following online and traditional means on Twitter (@StJamesParkDev), by phoning 0800 148 8911, or freepost ‘St James Park Development’.
Chairman of Exeter City Football Club, Julian Tagg, said: “We launched the development proposals for St James Park in June. Since then, we have had a fantastic response, even though the plans are still in the early stage of formulation.
“Now that the design process has moved on, we can provide more detail on what could be achieved through these plans. There will be another event later in the year so that we can update the community further.
“As a supporter-owned Club that is closely involved in Exeter, we take local views very seriously. That is why I am encouraging local residents, Club supporters and any other interested parties to come on down and let us know their thoughts on the proposals for St James Park.
“A key part of Exeter City’s Mission Statement is the delivery of a viable financial performance, the developing of first class facilities, both on and off the pitch, and engaging with our members, supporters and the wider community. These plans have the potential to significantly bolster these aims and to uphold our overall Vision of being an outstanding community-owned club.”