West Park Student Residences Project
New West Park Student Residences
Demolition of Clydesdale Court
Demolition of Clydesdale
Birdseye view of bridge and courtyard
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 area in front of Holland Hall and redeveloping areas of Birks Grange Village. As part of the project, Birks Grange Central Block is being redeveloped to provide new accommodation and amenity space including study, social and in-house commercial space. The existing Birks Grange Village Blocks A-E is also undergoing a refurbishment to provide modern self-catered accommodation once completed. Construction began in summer 2025 and is scheduled in the following phases:
Phase One – September 2027
Students will move into the first phase of the accommodation by September 2027, this will include the new Birks Grange Central Block, the refurbished Blocks A-E, and an accommodation block on the West Park site (Block GH). A total 618 bedrooms will be available to students as part of this phase. The new shop, alongside study and social space at Birks Grange Village will also open in the 2027/28 academic year.
Phase Two – September 2028
Students will move into the second phase of the accommodation by September 2028. This will include 1,391 bedrooms for students to live in. Additional social and study spaces will be opened as part of the West Park site in the 2028/29 academic year.
Contractor information
UPP has been appointed as the development partner to design, build, fund and operate the new accommodation. We are working closely with UPP and their contractors Bouygues UK to plan the work 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 is registered with the Considerate Constructors scheme and monitored in accordance with the scheme's code of considerate practice.
West Park Public Information Sessions
The University and UPP hold public information sessions for local residents to find out more the project. The latest public briefing session took place on Wednesday 6 May. The presentation from that session can be found below:
Project update
Next steps
We are working closely with our partners UPP and the construction team Bouygues UK on the programme of works. We expect the work to take place as follows:
Summer 2026 (and beyond):
- Ground works and piling will continue until the end of the summer and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) surveys will continue throughout this activity.
- Drainage and slab work will take place throughout the West Park site and service installations will begin to connect West Park to Birks Grange. More information can be found below.
- Pre-cast walls, structures and staircases will continue to be installed at Birks Central Block and GH Block at West Park.
In July and August, drainage work and service installations are taking place to connect West Park to Birks Grange. The arboretum footpath and cardiac hill footpath will close, at alternate intervals, to allow the service diversions to continue down the hill. During this time, five parking spaces at the bottom of Clydesdale Avenue will be out of use. We are working with the contractor to plan the work and minimise disruption where we can. We will share more details and dates through our construction lookahead.
On-street parking on Streatham Drive will remain closed to support safety in the area during the project.
Bouygues UK have secured a 90 space car parking area for their colleagues and sub-contractors near Exeter St David’s station for the duration of the project.
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.
|
Date |
Details |
Noise levels |
|
Thursday 30 July to Saturday 8 August
|
West Park site: Piling (drilling into the ground), groundworks and concrete pouring to form the foundations of the buildings will continue in the site area. This will create ongoing medium noise and intermittent high noise. There will be an increase in large deliveries across the site. Please take care in the area. From Saturday 8 to Sunday 9 August between 8am-6pm (weather dependent), a crane is expected to be installed near the contractor’s cabins outside Holland Hall. There will be an increase in large vehicles as the crane arrives on site. Roads will remain open, please listen to directions from traffic marshals and take care in the area. At the lower end of the site the installation of the frame and pre-cast structures will continue. Arboretum area: Service diversion work will continue in the top section of the arboretum (close to Clydesdale Avenue). During this time, five parking spaces at the bottom of Clydesdale Avenue are out of use. The arboretum footpath will be closed for approximately three days from Monday 3 August. There will be no access from Clydesdale Road through the arboretum footpath to the top of Cardiac Hill. Please follow the footpath diversion down Grafton Lane, through Birks Grange Village, to reach Cardiac Hill. Alternatively, use New North Road to reach Streatham Drive. Birks A-E Block: Scaffolding and hoists will continue to be installed around the building. This will create intermittent, medium levels of noise in the area. Internal demolition and installations will continue. This will create intermittent medium to high noise in the area. Birks Grange Central Block: Drainage works are taking place in front of Ross House. During this time, sections of the pathway outside of Ross House will be closed and footpath diversions will be in place. This is creating intermittent high noise in the area. Access to Ross House Reception is maintained. Please follow footpath diversions and take care in the area. The installation of the frame and pre-cast structures will continue. There will be large deliveries as the pre-cast structures arrive on site. |
Medium to High
|
|
Monday 10 to Saturday 15 August |
The works detailed in the previous week will continue. West Park site: On Friday 14 August, large machinery is expected to be moved from outside of Mardon Hall to the bottom of Clydesdale Avenue. Please be aware that this may cause some disruption and delays. Arboretum area: The Cardiac Hill footpath will be closed for approximately three days from Wednesday 12 August. There will be no access from Birks Grange Village through the Cardiac Hill footpath to Clydesdale Avenue. Please follow the footpath diversion up Grafton Road, along the arboretum footpath to reach Clydesdale Avenue. Alternatively, use New North Road to reach Streatham Drive. Further footpath closures will take place over the summer while service diversion work takes place. We are working with the contractor to plan the work and minimise disruption where we can and will share more details and dates soon. Birks Grange Car Park: From Monday 10 August for approximately three weeks, the road to the car park near Birks Grange Block Q will be closed to all vehicles. During this time, alternative accessible car parking bays can be found outside of Ross House. |
|
Please follow all health and safety signage in the area.
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.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation during the construction of the new student accommodation on campus.
Social Value
As part of the West Park Student Residences project, our partner UPP and contractor Bouygues UK plan to complete the following actions:
- Mentorship & School Engagement: Partnering with local schools to run STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workshops, site tours and career talks.
- Community Spaces: Donating time, materials, or expertise to improve parks, playgrounds, or community centres.
- Volunteering Days: Offering colleague time to support local charities, food banks, or environmental clean-ups.
- Inclusive Engagement: Hosting open days for residents to learn about the project and share feedback.
Since starting the project, Bouygues UK have been working closely with local schools, colleges and our university to provide apprenticeships, work experience placements and career mentoring, with the aim of supporting and investing in emerging talent across the region. Working closely with Exeter College, the team have welcomed a degree apprentice, management trainees and T Level students. The team have also developed relationships with local schools by supporting careers events, workshops promoting women in construction, and providing work experience opportunities.
Bouygues UK have also been supporting the local community, contributing over £1.8m to the supply chain since September 2025 and working on projects such as the refurbishment of Sylvania Hall in Exeter. Over the festive period, the team also supported two local community events at Beacon Heath and St James. Through team donations and fundraising, meals were provided for over 200 people, supporting community members and students to come together, connect with others, and share time with their families and friends.
To receive further updates on our social value work, you can sign up to our mailing list.
Landscaping
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.
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.
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),
We have made adjustments to the design of Birks Grange Village Block (A-E) and a new planning application for this Block was approved by Exeter City Council (24/1534/FUL).