Public open space disposal - Land at Grace Road Field

Land at Grace Road Field, Clapperbrook Lane East, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8QA

This consultation closed on Thursday 6 November 2025 - Findings will be published within 12-weeks of the consultation closing.

Notice is hereby given than Exeter City Council intends to:

Dispose of a parcel of land at Grace Road Field, Clapperbrook Lane East, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8QA which comprises open space land, by the grant of a long lease.
Grant easement rights for underground pipes from Grace Road disposal site across the Riverside Valley Park and Belle Isle Nursery and along Water Lane.

Background

In July 2024 the Council’s Executive gave approval for the Council’s officers to negotiate a disposal of land, within the wider Grace Road Field, to Exeter Energy Ltd. This disposal was conditional upon any deal being subjected to public consultation and thereafter brought back to Executive so that a final decision could be taken.

Early discussions were around a freehold sale of an area of land within the Grace Road Field. This was subject to consultation in the Autumn of 2024, but the method of the land disposal and disposal area have since changed.

The proposed site, though different from what was consulted on in Autumn 2024, does remain within Grace Road Field, but further consultation is appropriate considering these changes and the time that has passed since the consultation in Autumn 2024.

It should be noted that outline planning consent was granted in August 2025, subject to s.106 agreement, for development of an Energy Centre on Grace Road Fields.

Having reconsidered the position originally consulted on in Autumn 2024, officers now recommend disposal by way of a lease agreement and not freehold sale as originally planned, as it puts the Council a better position. Under this proposal, a disposal (grant of a 150+ year lease) would only take place once the developer has signed off on planning agreements and other statutory requirements in the building of the Energy Centre.

Disposal in this way provides greater certainty as the developer will not be granted the lease until they have complied with the agreement to build the Energy Centre. If in the unlikely event the development did not proceed within an agreed timescale, no lease will be granted.

Assuming conditions under the agreement are met, and a lease is granted, the Council will have greater control than if it had sold freehold. The Council can ensure the developer complies with the lease obligations for the duration of the term of the lease. This would include control over how the site is used and kept, as well as compliance with planning agreements and requirements for management/ funding of habitat/ nature/ landscape measures. It will also ensure the Council receives an income by way of annual rent during the term of the lease.

Underground pipes will be required to move heat, in the form of warm water, from the Energy Centre to end users of the heat around the City. The pipe routes pass under the Riverside Valley Park, Belle Isle, and Water Lane, some of which is public open space.

It is proposed that Easements are granted to the developer to enable this. Easements rights are a form of disposal and is therefore included in this consultation. Laying pipes will necessitate temporary disturbance along the pipe routes, but the land will be fully reinstated, once the pipes are laid, and returned to its current use as open space.

Summary of Land Disposal and Easements.

Plans showing the location, and an example illustration of the site are available to download below:

Please be aware the plans are in PDF format which may need to be opened on a Laptop or computer rather than a mobile phone, in order to display properly. Plans are available for inspection below or on request by email to estates@exeter.gov.uk or telephone 01392 265127.

Further information about the site and its proposed use.

The location of the plot can also be seen here:

What 3 Words: help.frame.shift
Location coordinates X (easting) 292719, Y (northing) 090682
Grid reference SX 92719 90682

For further information on the Council’s policy for the disposal of public open space please see: Policy for the disposal of public open space

Please note: These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email info@exeter.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.