Artwork unveiled at site of striking new Council housing project in Whipton

Published: 5 November 2021

Colourful artwork created by schoolchildren and residents has been unveiled at the site of a stunning new environmentally-friendly housing project for Exeter City Council.

Ninety two Passivhaus new homes are being created at The Gardens, Vaughan Road, Whipton, by the Council-owned development company Exeter City Living.

Sixty of the new homes will be affordable and retained as new Council housing, and 32 homes will be for market rent.

Plans to redevelop the site at Vaughan Road were approved in February 2020.

Consent was given for the demolition of Whipton Barton House to make way for a new high-quality development which will provide sixty affordable homes and thirty-two for market rent - all owned and managed by the Council.

All of these new homes will be built to the Passivhaus standard, meaning that homes need up to 90 per cent less energy to heat.

The development is part of the Council’s wider plans to create 500 new Passivhaus Council homes in Exeter over the next five years.

The homes are created to be healthier and more comfortable; where heat regulation costs are reduced and where climate emergency and fuel poverty are tackled head on.

The development will feature a biodiverse green space, built with community in mind, creating a safe haven in which families can thrive.

Private gardens, electric car club, electric vehicle hook ups and extensive cycle parking have also been included in the design of the development. Construction work is due to start next Spring.

Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor for Supporting People, who helped with the coordination of the community artwork, said: “These beautiful artworks are the culmination of a series of workshops with the artist and local community, and the result is fantastic.

“I know that the people of Whipton will enjoy the artwork and it will be there at the front of this wonderful development, where we will have 92 homes for local people, including 60 Council socially-rented homes, and I so happy to see this.” 

The colourful artworks on the hoardings were created during workshops with artist Stuart Crewes, funded by Exeter City Living.

More than 50 pupils from Whipton Barton School and Willowbrook School, plus families at the Beacon Community Centre, participated in the workshops, drawing inspiration from nature and the built environment, and by thinking about what makes a vibrant and healthy place to live.

Jen Cordwell, of Whipton Barton school, said: “It was a really unique and exciting opportunity for our children to get involved in. They were very excited to learn that their work would be so visible! The style of art and skills involved meant that all children could take part in the project and they very much enjoyed the freedom within it to explore their individual creativity.”

For more information about the development visit https://exetercityliving.co.uk/vaughan-road/