19 Oct 2020
The Liveable Exeter Place Board
Liveable Exeter is a housing programme that will deliver 12,000 new homes in new urban communities on existing brownfield sites. The programme will address major challenges of infrastructure and renewal, low carbon development as well as drawing together the core threads of the City’s vision for 2040 which includes Exeter as a prosperous, sustainable, community led and active city. Liveable Exeter is a programme of transformational change that will deliver major benefits to the citizens of the city, the region and the environment.
The work of the Liveable Exeter programme involves taking a holistic approach to place-making in the city – building on the best of what the city already has to offer and creating a city ready for the future.
To help support such an ambitious programme, the Liveable Exeter Place Board has been established to bring together all the major organisations in the city as well as private and voluntary sector figures. It allows for frank and candid confrontation of the issues they face in a manner that supports collaboration and a common purpose. The issues involved within Liveable Exeter will have city-wide impact and will benefit collaboration with city partners.
The Liveable Exeter Place Board is not a decision making body. The Liveable Exeter Place Board brings together the city’s leading public and private sector organisations, and offers the opportunity to collaboratively and proactively plan for the city’s future – with the aim of delivering on the city’s 2040 vision and making Exeter an exceptional place to Live, Work, Study or Visit.
The Place Board is Chaired by Sir Steve Smith, former Vice Chancellor of Exeter University who said:
“The Liveable Exeter Place Board is a most inspiring group to Chair. There is a sense of a single purpose between members to drive towards a common goal which seeks not only sustainable long term growth for Exeter and the surrounding region, but to do so with people and place at the heart of plans and continue to build a resilient city which is ready for the future.”
The Board is attended by the following members:
Chair of the Board

Sir Steve Smith
UK Government International Education Champion
Liveable Exeter Place Board
The Liveable Exeter Place Board is a high level vehicle for the constituent local authorities (Exeter City Council and Devon County Council) and partners to address collaboratively, issues relating to place-making and housing delivery. This joined up approach will support informed decision making.
It is the principal vehicle through which the city of Exeter will ensure that the desired transformational housing agenda known as Liveable Exeter is achieved.
The Board provides a cross discipline senior strategic board for the city that acts as a central lobby and strategic group for culture and climate change.
Mark Peck
Group Director South West, Work and Health Services, Department for Work and Pensions
Kalkidan Legesse
Social entrepreneur and Managing Director at Sancho’s
Lord Charles Courtenay
Earl of Devon
Suzanne Tracey
Chief Executive, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
John Laramy
Principal & Chief Executive Exeter College
Paul Crawford
Chief Executive Officer LiveWest
Cllr Phil Bialyk
Leader Exeter City Council
Cllr John Hart
Leader Devon County Council
Shaun Sawyer
Chief Constable Devon & Cornwall Police
Mike Watson
Managing Director Stagecoach South West
Lady Lucy Studholme
High Sheriff of Devon
Lee Elliot-Major
Professor of Social Mobility University of Exeter
Steve Hindley
Chairman, Midas Group
Charles Johnston
Executive Director of Property Sport England
Tony Rowe
Chief Executive & Chairman Exeter Rugby Club
Sarah Crown
Director of Literature Arts Council England
Dinah Cox
Chair of Trustees Devon Community Foundation
Glenn Woodcock
Director Oxygen House
Clodagh Murphy
Exeter Chamber of Commerce
Julian Tagg
Chairman ECFC Chairman City Community Trust
Karime Hassan
Chief Executive & Growth Director Exeter City Council
Mark Hopwood
Managing Director GWR
The Right Reverend Robert Atwell
Bishop of Exeter
Mike Gallop
Western Route Director Network Rail
Claire Kennedy
Licensee and Curator TEDxExeter
Very Reverend Jonathan Greener
Dean of Exeter Cathedral
The Right Honourable Simon Jupp
MP for East Devon (Conservative)
The Right Honourable Ben Bradshaw
MP for Exeter (Labour)
Ian Cameron
Business Group Director Met Office
Professor Lisa Roberts
Vice-Chancellor University of Exeter