Princesshay is an historic area in the centre of Exeter within the old city walls and adjacent to the cathedral. A number of aims were established which would seek to achieve this objective, including:

– Establishing a new prime retail pitch
– Increasing Zone A retail rates which had become static at £175 per sq ft
– Creating a sense of place while retaining and enhancing the views of the cathedral
– Respecting the setting of historic monuments
– Creating a new civic square with catering uses to increase dwell time in the city centre
– Encouraging public realm improvements and introducing public art
– Linking key thoroughfares via a permeable pedestrian network

Landscape architects Livingston Eyre Associates were responsible for the design of the public realm and for the redevelopment of a considerable part of the Princesshay area, working alongside three teams of architects, and interfacing with the redevelopment of the High Street by Exeter City Council. Their work sought to create lively new spaces with strong identities through the use of a carefully considered palette of high quality materials. The design integrates the diverse architectural approaches and knits them into the existing urban fabric of the city. This work was seen as central to the success of the scheme and to achieving many of the established aims.