We won the bid to design a new retail and leisure destination on behalf of Hammerson, on part of the Devon & Cornwall Police Headquarters site, located just off Honiton Road in Exeter.

Acknowledging its context and designed to meet modern retailer demands, the park contains eight A1 retail units and three food and drink units plus a 20,000 sq.ft gym. The retail terrace offers a clean, uncomplicated and modern aesthetic whose form and orientation mask adjacent industrial buildings and enhance the character and appearance of Honiton Road.

The site imposed several constraints, including its close proximity to the Police Headquarters, the level difference at the entrance and underground utilities, which required a coordinated input from the entire design team.

The landscape team was involved in the design from the outset, sculpting the view of the site from the access roundabout by mitigating the level difference and designing an attractive and biodiverse landscape. All whilst finding a suitable solution to coordinate the site layout with the underground utilities.

The development is aiming for a BREEAM rating of “Excellent” and has recently been submitted for planning approval and is anticipated to be trading winter 2019/spring 2020.