There are fears that an Exeter beauty spot could be destroyed when an historic landmark is sold. Urgent surveys are underway to make sure that it is protected.
Exeter's historic registry office and wedding venue Larkbeare House was put on the market for £4million in December, following Devon County Council's announcement that they would be selling it. The authority is selling this property, along with a number of others that they own, in order to claw back cash and make the council "more sustainable".
The 19th century building is currently being listed by property consultants Vickery Holman who have described it as a commercial development opportunity. With 16,000 sq ft of accommodation and a surrounding five acres of grounds, buyers could redevelop the site.
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Exeter Civic Society and Devon Gardens Trust have raised concerns that trees on the land could be felled, which they say would be the loss of an "important contributor to the city's 'green canopy'". The trees can also be seen from Exeter Quayside.
A spokesperson for Exeter Civic Society’s 'Tree Preservation Taskforce' said: "Exeter Civic Society wants to see safeguards put in place to guarantee the future appropriate management of the trees and planting at Larkbeare House so that the areas biodiversity and the city's green canopy can be maintained. This is even more important as the Holloway Street / Topsham Road street corridor is notorious as one of the most badly polluted areas in Exeter due to car emissions.
"We are undertaking an urgent listing of the trees in the Grounds so the importance of what is there is clear. We want to raise awareness for what will be lost if the trees and grounds are not protected.
"Currently the trees are only protected through being part of a conservation area. We aim to urgently get Tree Protection Orders on the trees. We would also like consideration to be given to locally listing the grounds and the house. It would be wonderful, if public access to the grounds could be maintained.
"The grounds have potential as Exeter's part in a rising tide for eco-tourism, especially as they are so close to the Quay as the city’s second most visited tourist site."
The two groups are undertaking urgent surveys of the trees and grounds to ensure they are protected before the site is sold. They say that the grounds at Larkbeare House feature a mix of mature and younger trees, making it "a prime example for conservation and development of Exeter’s Tree Cover".
The 'Valuing Exeter's Urban Forest' report carried out by Treeconomics on behalf of Exeter City Council said the city has "very few" large ancient trees and recommends that they be maintained.
It says: "Aim to retain large, mature trees wherever possible, as large trees provide the most benefits – make them part of developments rather than lose them".
The 2023 report also valued Exeter's trees' annual ability to store carbon at £1.39million, while it said the cost to replace them would be £111million and the amenity valuation was valued at £1.32billion.