Have your say on plans to enhance and improve popular park

Ambitious plans to secure and enhance one of the city’s much-loved green spaces for future generations have been revealed.

Exeter City Community Trust (ECCT), the partner charity of the Exeter City Football Club, which delivers health and wellbeing services and activities across the city, has launched a consultation on the future of the King George V Playing Fields on Topsham Road.

The charity is working in partnership with Exeter City Council to explore options for the future of the 40-acre site. It has launched a public consultation to ensure the views of the entire community are heard as part of the planning process.

In addition to the consultation, ECCT is currently exploring grants and funding opportunities for the ambitious plans, which will see the community facility revived and restored for the public’s use.

The playing fields were one of hundreds across the UK established following the death of King George V in 1936 to ‘promote and assist in the establishment of playing fields for the use and enjoyment of the people’. It has long been a popular place for community recreation, offering a green space for play, sports, and outdoor activities in line with the legacy of King George V and the protection of Fields in Trust – the charity which was founded in 1925 by the King to protect parks and green spaces.

The site is home to several local sports clubs, including Central FC, Exeter City Girls' Junior Premier League teams, and the Exeter Spitfires Baseball Club. The grounds feature sports fields, an accessible playground for children, and walking paths.

Jamie Vittles, chief executive of Exeter City Community Trust, said: “This much-treasured piece of land has been enjoyed by generations for almost 90 years. We are pleased to be working in partnership with Exeter City Council to explore the opportunities to revitalise this area, making it accessible to all and a valuable natural resource for generations to come.”

The KGV project aims to enhance and expand the existing facilities to serve the community even better. Planned additions include new play zones, a 3G sports pitch, and a transformed health and wellbeing hub in the renovated building on the site. These improvements are designed to provide modern, accessible amenities while preserving the natural landscape and the field’s historic character.

Jamie added: “Exeter City Community Trust is committed to honouring the ethos of KGV Playing Fields as a vital space for active, healthy lifestyles across generations. Through consultation we will ensure the KGV project is a true community effort, reflecting the needs and aspirations of those who use and enjoy this space. We are asking everyone to have their say in shaping the project, whether it's through sharing ideas for new community programmes, the activities they most enjoy, or discussing how to best preserve and enhance the natural environment.

?“Our community’s input is invaluable in helping us create opportunities that serve all ages and interests, while staying true to the spirit of KGV and Fields in Trust.”

Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Leisure Services & Health Living, said: “This is a really exciting project that aims to enhance and improve this much-loved and well used green space. We have an opportunity here to lay down some really impressive community and sports facilities for the next generation of park users. That’s why it’s really important for everyone to get involved in this consultation and have their say.”

The project has several key aims, each reflecting the principles of King George V Playing Fields and the Fields in Trust, alongside the mission and values of Exeter City Community Trust. They are:

• Develop new health, wellbeing and leisure facilities
• Protect and enhance the natural environment
• Create a gateway to the Riverside Valley Park
• Deliver community developed provision
• Reduce barriers to participation for:
• people of all ages
• women and girls
• para sports activities
• lower socio-economic groups
• ethnic minorities
• local residents and community stakeholders
• Provide physical activity and social inclusion for all
• Facilitate outstanding youth development
• Enhance usage, safety and security
• Increase community pride

In order to achieve these aims, a project steering group has created a vision for the site for consultation and review prior to a formal planning application being submitted in the new year. Through this vision it aims to safeguard the site, including the play park and natural environment, whilst upgrading existing facilities and adding new ones. Those under consideration, include:

• Improvements to existing grass pitches
• Existing tennis courts refurbished and resurfaced
• Leisure garden and picnic area
• 2 x play zones which floodlit and feature high quality surfaces, designed to be used for a range of sports and
• activities such as basketball, cricket, football, netball, and tennis.
• 91m x 55m 3G artificial grass pitch with floodlighting
• Woodland trails and walkways
• Improvements to car parking areas
• Refurbishment to existing pavilion with single-story extension, to include:
• Cafe and event space
• Accessible changing rooms and changing spaces
• Multi-use rooms/office spaces
• External WC facilities
• Option for first floor vertical extension

?The deadline for this phase of consultation is 6 January? 2025. Representatives from Exeter City Community Trust will be visiting the site and holding a number of activities in the coming weeks to gather views. People are also invited to complete the survey via the KGV Consultation website: www.kgvexeter.com