West Park Student Residences Project
New West Park Student Residences
Demolition of Clydesdale Court
Demolition of Clydesdale
Birdseye view of bridge and courtyard
West Park Student Residences Project
The University is increasing student accommodation on Streatham Campus by building new and refurbished, student living facilities that provide an excellent on-campus living experience and reduces pressure on the University seeking third party accommodation providers in the city.
The West Park Student Residences project is creating new accommodation in the Clydesdale and Nash area and converting accommodation in the Birks Grange Village area from catered to self-catered.
This will include redeveloping the reception, catered dining halls and the Market Place Village Shop (Birks Grange Central Block) into further accommodation and amenity space including study, social and in-house commercial space. The catered Birks Grange blocks A-E will undergo a refurbishment and will provide modern self-catered accommodation once completed.
UPP has been appointed as the development partner to design, build, fund and operate the new accommodation.
Enhancing biodiversity and ecology in the area is an important aspect of the project. We are working with our development partners UPP to retain much of the mature woodland, plant double the amount of hedgerow that is currently in the area and plant over 200 trees. The new planting will include a mix of seasonal species to enhance biodiversity, and wildlife habitats will be greatly improved, including the installation of bat, bird and hedgehog boxes, and wood and stone piles to provide further habitats.
The Reserved Matters Planning Application for the project (ref: 22/1746/RES) was approved by Exeter City Council at a planning committee meeting in June 2023. This follows the scheme being granted Outline Planning consent (ref: 20/1684/OUT) in September 2021. A Minor Material Amendment to the planning application was approved in May 2024 (24/0184/VOC), the details of the amendment are in the tab below.
We have made adjustments to the design of Birks Block (A-E) and a new planning application for this Block was approved by Exeter City Council’s (24/1534/FUL).
We are working closely with UPP and their contractors Bouygues UK to plan the works and to minimise disruption to colleagues, students and visitors where possible. Bouygues UK are part of the Considerate Constructors scheme, which ensures they have high standards in managing risks, protecting the environment and positive relationships with the local community. This project will be registered with the Considerate Constructors scheme and monitored in accordance with the scheme's code of considerate practice.
Construction work has begun in the Clydesdale, Nash and Birks Grange Village area of Streatham Campus this summer 2025.
We expect students to move in to Phase One of the new accommodation by September 2027, and Phase Two by September 2028.
West Park Public Information Sessions
The University and UPP hold public information sessions for local residents to find out more the project.
Date for your diary: The next West Park Local Residents Information Session is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 6 May, from 17:30 to 19:00, at Reed Hall, Streatham Campus.
If you would like to be kept up to date on the project, please sign up to our mailing list.
Project update
Next steps
Construction work has begun in the Clydesdale, Nash and Birks Grange Village area of Streatham Campus on the West Park Student Residences project
UPP and their contractors Bouygues UK have started the demolition of the buildings in the Clydesdale and Nash area and Birks Grange Village area. They are continuing to install hoarding around the site and complete service diversions. A number of footpaths and roads in the area will be closed or diverted.
Holland Hall car park and the majority of the car parking in the Clydesdale and Nash area, on Clydesdale Avenue and in front of Birks Grange A-E are closed for the duration of the project. Alternative staff permitted car park spaces on Streatham Campus can be found here. Accessible car park spaces will continue to be available at the back of Mardon Hall, and cycle parking will be unaffected in the area.
We are creating a temporary contractor car park on the grassed area by Higher Hoopern Lane on our Streatham Campus. The dedicated contractor car park will help ensure that the West Park contractors park their cars and vans on campus and not on local residential roads or in nearby car parks. The construction of the temporary car park has been delayed until January 2026, due to the ongoing wet weather in December 2025.
On-street parking on Streatham Drive is closed to construct a new footpath. Some of the on-street car parking bays will reopen once the footpath is complete and some parking bays will remain closed to support safety in the area during the project. Traffic marshals and traffic lights are in the area to control the flow of traffic on Streatham Drive. Please follow the footpath diversion through the Reed Hall garden (this is an unlit route and only a suitable diversion during daylight hours).
Barriers and signage will be in place throughout the works. Please follow all health and safety signage in the area. Below is a map of the West Park development area.
If you have any questions about the project, please get in touch with the project team at WestPark@exeter.ac.uk
Construction lookahead
Below are details of the construction work taking place for the next two weeks:
Please note, the dates and information are updated regularly but are subject to change at short notice, due to weather conditions and working with external contractors.
The construction work is taking place during normal working hours, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, and may also occur on the weekend as required.
|
Details |
Noise levels |
|
|
Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 March |
The groundworks and piling (drilling into the ground to form foundations) will continue in the lower end of the West Park site and near Mardon Hall, creating ongoing medium noise and high noise. There will be an increase in large vehicles and deliveries to the site. Please take care whilst in the area and listen to the traffic marshals. At Birks Grange Central Block, work to form the foundations of the building will take place. This is expected to cause intermittent medium to high sawing noise. Drainage diversions will continue and a number of cables will be connected to Birks A-E Block. This will cause medium levels of noise and will involve some digging into the grass, footpaths and road. Please follow footpath diversions. Internal demolition will continue at Birks A-E Block. This will create intermittent medium to high noise as rubble is removed. There will be increased traffic movements around Birks Grange Village and on Streatham Drive as concrete is delivered. Please take care in the area. The Streatham Drive footpath continues to be constructed. There will be intermittent noise at the section of the new footpath by Reed Hall car park. Also, trenching will take place across the road to connect the streetlighting. Access will be maintained and traffic marshals and traffic lights are in the area to control the flow of traffic. Please follow the footpath diversion through the Reed Hall garden (this is an unlit route and only a suitable diversion during daylight hours). Tarmacking and spoil removal will take place on Clydesdale Avenue following the service diversion work. The road may be temporarily closed, and footpath diversions will be in place. Access for deliveries and collections will be maintained, and road plates will be available to cover the road for emergency vehicles. The grass areas where the service diversion have taken place will be reseeded with grass in the coming months. |
Medium to High
|
|
Monday 9 to Saturday 14 March |
The works detailed in the previous week will continue.
Temporary site cabins are being set up in the Birks A-E Block car park. The site cabins will be delivered and lifted by crane into position.
|
Medium to High
|
|
Advanced notice: Saturday 14 to Tuesday 17 March
|
The main road into Birks Grange Village will be closed and there will be no vehicle access to Blocks L, M, N, P and Q and the Birks Grange car park from 8am to 6pm on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March whilst a crane is installed at Birks Grange Central Block. The road access in front of Block K will remain open. If you need to drive your vehicle on the weekend, we advise that you remove your car from the car park on Friday evening, as vehicles cannot be moved during the times stated above. Deliveries will need to stop before the road closure to be collected or walked through the footpath diversion. Pedestrian and emergency access will be maintained throughout the road closure. Please follow footpath diversions, listen to directions from traffic marshals and take care in the area. This work may continue until Tuesday 17 March. Please note: the crane will be operational during normal working hours for the duration of the project. |
Medium to High
|
We thank you for your patience and cooperation during the construction of the new student accommodation on campus.
Contact us
If you have any queries or questions about the project please email WestPark@exeter.ac.uk and we will get back to you.
If there are any urgent issues on site, please contact the site manager Amber Gratton-Davey on 07345479453.