Cranbrook is a pioneering new town built to accommodate the growing population of Exeter and East Devon. There are already more than 6,000 residents, a train station providing direct links to both Exeter and London. The Cranberry Farm pub serves as a central hub for community events.
Community is at the heart of Cranbrook development, with young families flocking to the town to take advantage of affordable properties, proximity to high value employment opportunities and plenty of green space to explore.
The town centre will provide Cranbrook with a vibrant retail and social offer. Cranbrook town centre has been a long time in the making, with the first new buildings since 2017 currently under construction, anticipated for completion in 2024.
In 2022 East Devon District Council purchased 4 acres of town centre land and together with other public sector organisations, will in time control the remaining non-residential town centre land. Resolutions to grant planning permission for 3,510 further homes at Cranbrook are in place and once finalised, the legal agreements for these will secure financial contributions toward town centre facilities. A community consultation took place in 2023 about the future of the town centre which attracted high levels of engagement. Read the consultation report, where the community prioritise health and leisure delivery and want to see the town centre as a vibrant place to be with further shops and covered/shaded outside spaces in which to spend time. To keep momentum with the town centre, the next step is to develop a masterplan that will be used to establish the location of land uses and the form and feel of the town centre. Subsequent developments will follow the masterplan to ensure that there is a joined-up and plan led approach to town centre delivery. Read the report to EDDC about the consultation and the masterplan.
Your town centre
The first shops, the beginning of a town square and a Morrisons supermarket are being built and should be finished by Spring 2024 but no dates have been confirmed for their opening. There will be more to come. East Devon District Council (EDDC) has recently bought 3.85 acres of land next to the supermarket and will receive more from the developers shortly. This will make it easier to agree what happens next and start the next phase of the town centre development.
There are already plans from Devon County Council to build a youth centre, children’s centre and library. The Town Council is aiming to develop a community building which will also house the town council offices. A leisure centre is included the EDDC Leisure Strategy though they still have to find additional funds. And while there are plans for a Health and Wellbeing Hub and a Fire Station, there is some way to go to finalise how these will happen.
What happens next
None of this will happen overnight. The town centre masterplan needs to be finalised; the rest of the money needs to be found; planning permissions have to be agreed and then the work needs to be contracted and the new facilities actually built.
What else
Your town centre will need more than just those things to make sure it provides what a town the size of Cranbrook needs. Thank you for your views on other important facilities you would like to see and the kind of town centre you want.
We want to make sure that local people are kept informed about progress. In due course, you will be able to hear about the masterplanning process and you will be able to find out about what the plans are for the different elements of the town centre.
