Only 18 of 164 replies backed a Woodwater Lane permit zone, so officers want it shelved for five years. Sweetbrier Lane now heads the queue for the next scheme.
A residents parking zone planned for the Woodwater Lane area of Exeter looks set to be dropped after almost nine in ten people who replied said no. Devon County Council officers recommended shelving it and not looking at the area again for at least five years.
The figures are in a report to Exeter’s Highways and Traffic Orders Committee, which met on Monday 12 October. A second report set out which parts of the city should be next in line for a scheme.
The county council had not published the minutes of Monday’s meeting when we checked on Wednesday 14 October, so the decisions below are the officers’ recommendations. We will update this page when the vote is on record.
Woodwater Lane: 18 for, 146 against
The scheme would have extended the Rifford Road permit zone, known as Zone S7, into the streets around Woodwater Lane. Residents there asked for it after Zone S7 started in 2017. A 2019 consultation suggested they broadly supported it.
The formal consultation ran from 5 March to 2 April 2026. It drew 164 responses:
| Road | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Carlton Road | 3 | 29 |
| Whitchurch Avenue | 4 | 28 |
| Beverley Close | 2 | 24 |
| Woodwater Lane | 3 | 8 |
| Aller Vale Close | 2 | 8 |
| Holne Rise | 0 | 8 |
| Outside the area or unknown | 4 | 41 |
| Total | 18 | 146 |
That is 89% against. The report’s own table totals the no column as 145, but its rows add up to 146, which matches its 89% figure.
Only 13 of the 171 homes in the area said yes. The other four yes replies came from outside it.
The comments the council logged most often were:
- the restrictions were not needed: 51
- 42 responses came through a petition
- young children could not be dropped off and walked into school: 29
- the scheme was “just a way to make money”: 27
- parking would move onto other streets: 19
- permits would cost money or be unaffordable: 17
The council replied that permit charges cover the cost of running a scheme, so they fall on the residents who benefit rather than on all taxpayers. It said school drop-offs were considered in the design.
The report says officers looked at bringing in the zone only where support was higher, but found none, because the response was “consistent across the whole area”. It puts the result down to “the apparent change of resident’s views since the original consultation in 2019”.
St Thomas went the same way. Both areas were consulted after a 2022 priority list, and the report says neither scheme was supported by residents, even though earlier informal surveys suggested it might be.
Who is next in the queue
Because of those two rejections, officers reviewed the waiting list drawn up in April 2022. They asked Exeter’s county councillors in June 2026 whether each area should stay on it.
The report recommends keeping the 2022 order and adding two more requests at the end:
- Sweetbrier Lane area, Heavitree: the local councillor asked for it to stay. Parking moved here after restrictions came in on Whipton Lane and the south end of Hamlin Lane in February 2017.
- Cotfield Street area, near the Quay: parking blamed on businesses and visitors to the river. A small scheme, so it may be quicker.
- New Valley Road area, Exwick: parking blamed on St Davids station and the playing fields.
- Southbrook Road area: parking blamed on Pynes Hill and nearby open spaces.
- Heraldry Way area: the local councillor asked for it to stay. Parking blamed on businesses on the west side of Rydon Lane.
- Stoke Valley Road area: residents were consulted in 2017 and 2018 and did not support a scheme. It is back on the list because developer money tied to a University of Exeter campus scheme may not come: the report says it is “looking unlikely that the development will be built”.
- Polsloe and Heavitree, Zone S2: a request to change the existing zone from 10am to 4pm on weekdays to 9am to 6pm, Saturdays included. It is last because those streets already have a scheme.
The Stoke Hill area is not on the list. The report says money has been requested from a nearby development, and work will start once it arrives.
How much support the queued areas had
The support figures for the queued areas date from February 2020, more than six years ago. The report says views “may have changed”.
Measured against every home in each area, the share that said yes in 2020 was:
- New Valley Road: 58 of 173 homes, about 34%
- Southbrook Road: 104 of 362, about 29%
- Sweetbrier Lane: 134 of 498, about 27%
- Heraldry Way: 95 of 654, about 15%
- Cotfield Street: 15 of 137, about 11%
Stoke Valley Road’s 2019 survey gave 191 of 831, about 23%. Woodwater Lane’s 2026 consultation gave 13 of 171, about 8%. These counts leave out replies from outside each area.
On Sweetbrier Lane, the split among those who replied was close: 134 households for and 129 against. Chard Road and Hamlin Lane leaned yes. Carlyon Gardens and Whiteway Drive leaned no.
A change to how schemes start
Officers also want to change the process. Old surveys raised hopes of a scheme that then took years to arrive, the report says. In future:
- an informal survey would be held only when work on an area actually starts
- councillors and officers would then agree whether to go to detailed design
- a formal consultation would follow, with the result going back to the committee
- work would only begin when money and staff are available to finish it
The report says there are no financial implications at this stage. Each scheme would need funding before it starts.
What it means for you
- Woodwater Lane, Carlton Road, Whitchurch Avenue and nearby: if the recommendation was agreed, no permit zone is coming, and the council will not look at one for at least five years. Parking across a driveway is already an offence, and the council says you can report it through its website.
- Sweetbrier Lane, Cotfield Street, New Valley Road, Southbrook Road or Heraldry Way: you are on the list, but there is no date. Expect a fresh survey before any design work, and your answer will count more than the 2020 one.
- Zone S2 permit holders: longer hours and Saturday controls would need a consultation across the whole zone first.
- Everyone: car parks and charges are on our parking in Exeter page. For road closures this month, see Exeter roadworks this week.
Have your say