Work will soon be getting under way on the creation of new sports facilities in Exwick to benefit the college and the wider Exeter community. 

The facilities include a new all-weather rugby pitch to replace an existing pitch at the Flowerpots playing fields, and a new sports pavilion, to replace the old changing rooms near the cricket pitch. 

The changing rooms are at the end of their useful life, and this is an opportunity not just to replace them but also to improve them for the college, the community and the city, with a new gym as well as changing rooms and teaching facilities. 

A lack of facilities in Exeter is stopping local rugby clubs developing more teams, particularly for women and girls. The new 3G pitch will help to address this concern, because it will be available when other facilities may be out of action because of the weather. 

The new facilities will be available to local teams in the same way as the college’s existing facilities such as the Exwick Sports Hub, which is well used by local football and tennis clubs. They will be available in the evenings and at weekends when not being used by the college. 

The college was able to apply for central government grant funding for the proposals because it is rated as Outstanding by Ofsted, and Exeter City Council’s planning committee approved a planning application early in 2023. 

The college is keen to ensure that disruption to neighbours and people using the playing fields will be kept to a minimum.

Work on the new all-weather pitch is due to start on September 2 and last approximately six months. It will involve the movement of vehicles on site and steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the public. This will involve, at times, people being asked to stay off temporary haul roads and away from construction equipment. 

Construction of the new pavilion is expected to start imminently and be completed by March 2025. 

FAQs

What work is being undertaken?

There are two parts to this project: the new all-weather rugby pitch on the south part of the site, and a new sports pavilion on the northern part.

The all-weather (3G) pitch will replace an existing rugby pitch at Flowerpots, and sit on the same footprint. Some excavation will be necessary so the new pitch can be installed to sit at the same level as the surrounding grass. A new, more secure fence, will replace the existing fencing.

The new sports pavilion includes changing facilities and a gym, with associated teaching space. This will replace the old changing rooms.

Why is the work being done?

The existing changing rooms are at the end of their useful life, and this is an opportunity not just to replace them but also to improve them for the college, the community and the city, with better facilities.

A lack of facilities in Exeter is stopping local rugby clubs developing more teams, particularly for women and girls. The new pitch will help to address this concern, because it will be available when others may be out of action because of the weather.

Why does construction traffic need to come through Flowerpot Lane?

There is no other way for vehicles of the appropriate size to access the rugby pitch. The railway bridge between the two sections of the playing fields is too small to allow access from Exwick Road. We have considered all other options but none of them are feasible.

How environmentally friendly will the 3G pitch be?

The pitch has been designed to the highest environmental standards and uses the latest materials and techniques to minimise its impact, both in use and at the “end-of-life” stage.

It will use an organic infill, rather than rubber crumb which has often been used in the past on such pitches. This infill, first produced in 2019, is made from pine trees. The pine is grown, harvested and planted in a continuous cycle, making it highly sustainable.

The infill has no smell, keeps cool in hot weather, and drains well.

At the end of the pitch’s life, the 100% natural wood pellets can be recycled for use in golf courses, lawns, and gardens, for example.

Sand will be used as a stabilising infill. This can be easily cleaned and recycled.

The artificial turf itself is latex free and uses a single polymer construction, which is designed to ease end of life recycling. It eliminates the need for microplastic based performance infill.

The pitch has an expected lifespan of 20-25 years. A future replacement pitch would, like this one, be installed to the highest environmental standards.

The college’s Flowerpots proposals, which include new tree planting and landscaping measures, will increase the biodiversity of the area.

Is this just for college students?

The new facilities will be available to local sports clubs in just the same way as the college’s existing facilities such as the Exwick Sports Hub which particularly helps football and tennis clubs.

Local rugby and cricket clubs will be able to make use of the facilities when they are not needed by the college – such as at weekends and in the evenings.

How long will the work take?

We hope to be able to complete the work on the new all-weather rugby pitch within around six months from start to finish.

Work on the new pavilion should be complete by March 2025.

Won’t this impact on my long-term access to green space?

We always ask people to avoid walking on playing surfaces, which is why, for example, the existing rugby pitch is fenced. The new all-weather pitch will also be fenced off for security purposes. For an idea of what this fencing will look like, it will be similar to that around the 3G football pitch at the sports hub.

The new pavilion will sit in the same space as the old changing rooms, and the car parking and landscaping will be little changed from how it is now.

During construction work, for the safety of students, the public and contractors, we will need to fence off “haul routes” from time to time. These are marked out routes which are used by construction traffic. Whenever vehicles are moving, personnel will be on hand to ensure safety while ensuring as much public access as possible. This will be rather like a traffic light system, giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists whenever possible.

Do you have planning permission for this?

The city council’s planning committee approved our planning application in 2023 and the finer details are being agreed with planning officers before work gets fully under way.

Why does the soil need to be removed for the 3G pitch?

Because the area is closely linked to the city’s flood defences, the level of the ground must remain precisely as it is today, so the soil cannot be used on site to create banking or other new features.