FAQs

We will be holding a public consultation on our draft proposals in April 2025. The consultation will enable interested parties to view planning documents, including plans, maps, and reports. Residents, stakeholders and other interested parties will be able to ask questions, request additional information and provide their feedback to help shape the plans ahead of the submission of a planning application.

The application will be submitted to East Devon District Council as the Local Planning Authority. The application will then be reviewed by planning and technical officers at the council. The community will have another opportunity to have their say on the proposals during the council’s statutory consultation on the application. It is anticipated that East Devon District Council’s Planning Committee will decide whether the proposals are granted planning consent.

An application will be submitted following the consultation period and once all responses have been reviewed and considered in detail. We expect to submit an application in mid 2025.

Waddeton Park Ltd. is committed to holding an accessible and transparent consultation, which reaches a wide audience of local residents. You can get in touch to ask questions, request additional information, or provide your feedback in a number of ways. You can email us at consultation@thirty47.co.uk, call our freephone number on 0800 699 0081 and leave a voicemail where a member of the team will get back to you, or write to us at FREEPOST TC CONSULTATION (no further address or stamp required).

Please find our more information about Waddeton Park in our
About Waddeton Park page.

The site is located on land north of Sowton Village, formerly of Venn Farm. The site is bounded to the north by the A30 with Exeter Science Park across the road. Sowton Lane bounds the site to the East and West while to the south lie some fields and properties.

We are looking to bring forward an Outline planning application for 28,300sqmof commercial floorspace split across B2 (General Industrial), B8 (Storage or Distribution), and E(g) (Industrial Process) uses. Additional amenities on the site could include a gym and creche. Some area of farmland will be retained for recreational use.

An Outline planning application seeks to establish the principle of development on the site. Our application will include the total floorspace which could be delivered, as well as identifying areas where development would be located on the site. Our application will also seek to establish the access points. All other details, such as the exact number of buildings, where they will be located, and what they will look like, will come forward in future Reserved Matters planning applications, should our plans receive permission from East Devon District Council.

We are currently proposing that the primary access for the site will be off Sowton Lane to the east, utilising an established access track to the fields.

Details about the build specifications will come forward as part of a future Reserved Matters planning application. This will include details on how the buildings will be heated and generate hot water, as well as any renewable energy generation measures (such as ground source heat pumps) proposed to be delivered. However, at this stage, it is expected that as a minimum, EV charging points will be delivered to cater for the growing move to EV cars. We also anticipate there to be solar panels on the site to help power the buildings. Furthermore, extensive new tree planting is proposed along the majority of the site boundaries.

The proposals will deliver at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, in accordance with the provision of the Environment Act (2021). Biodiversity enhancements will include an extensive planting scheme across the site, including a 15m tree buffer around the edge of the site, and an amenity field which will contain a mixture of trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflower seeding to maximise the habitats on site.

The Environment Agency flood map for planning indicates the site is located within Flood Zone 1 and is therefore at the lowest risk of flooding.

Over the course of the pre-application period our drainage consultants will be preparing our solution for dealing with foul and surface water from the site. Prior to submitting an application we will be discussing the capacity of the sewer network and aim to agree a point of connection with South West Water. As part of our wider strategy for dealing with surface water run-off, we are considering a variety of measures, including rain water reuse as well as infiltration. On site will be two attenuation ponds that water will flow to and congregate before slowly dissipating into the ground so as not to cause flooding. We are aware of localised surface water runoff from the site onto Sowton Lane, and it is expected that the proposed development would reduce the current runoff rates to prevent water and sediment depositing on the highway.