Exeter MP backs Marlcombe vision amid local government shake-up

Exeter’s MP has told Exeter Today that a proposed 10,000-home community in East Devon would have a "positive impact" on the city, despite its exclusion from a national government programme.

Steve Race, the Labour MP for Exeter, spoke out after council leaders called on the city’s representatives to support the Marlcombe project following a "frustrating" decision by the government.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) launched consultations on its New Towns programme this week, but Marlcombe was not selected for the next phase.

Mr Race told Exeter Today he backed the "infrastructure-first" approach and suggested that local government reorganisation could be the key to unlocking future investment.

Although the Marlcombe site sits outside the Exeter constituency boundary, Mr Race said its success was linked to the city's wider economic reach.

“While the planned new town of Marlcombe would be outside of my constituency, the new community will have a positive impact on the city of Exeter," he said.

"I know that East Devon want to progress on the development with or without official 'New Town' status, and I hope the lessons of Cranbrook will be incorporated, bringing infrastructure along at the same time as new homes."

The project aims for 40 per cent affordable housing and is designed to provide schools and GP surgeries alongside the first phase of housing, a move intended to avoid "pitfalls" seen in previous developments.

The MP’s comments come amid an ongoing debate over how Devon is governed.

Mr Race suggested that a new, larger authority with a regional mayor would give the area more power when negotiating with central government.

“If the Government chooses to back Exeter City Council’s proposal for Local Government Reorganisation, this area would become part of a new larger unitary authority, that will take into account Exeter's economic reach," he said.

"I have long advocated for a new Exeter authority to join others from across Devon in a strategic authority, with a Mayor, making us far better placed to make the case for new powers and spending over housing and infrastructure, enabling Exeter’s economy to grow sustainably.”

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has confirmed it will formally challenge the government's decision to exclude Marlcombe from the national list.

Councillor Todd Olive, Portfolio Holder for Place, Infrastructure and Strategic Planning at EDDC, said: “It is a huge disappointment and a great frustration not to have been accepted on to the New Towns programme."

Next week, cabinets from both EDDC and Devon County Council are expected to meet to approve an “Interim Growth Board” to keep the project moving forward.

The government consultation on the New Towns programme remains open until Tuesday 19 May.