St Davids Hill, Exeter, EX4

Rare conversion opportunity with planning consent, situated in a prime central Exeter location.

Description

Walnut House is a detached Grade II Listed stuccoed villa, which provides approximately 460.8 sq m (4,960 sq ft) Gross Internal Area. The property was constructed in the late 18th century as a residential dwelling. More recently it has been used as offices for the Barristers Chambers.

Walnut House provides accommodation over three storeys, with one internal staircase. On the ground floor there is a WC and 7no. rooms. The first floor provides 6no. further rooms and a kitchenette and on the second floor there are 4 rooms. There is also a small basement. Many of the rooms still benefit from attractive period features such as cornicing and ceiling roses. On the ground floor, at the entrance to the hallway, there is a striking stained glass door.

Externally, at the rear of the property is a landscaped walled garden which comprises part of the original City Walls. At the front, there is a small landscaped garden as well as 9no. parking spaces, 4 of which are allocated to the adjacent mews cottages, leaving 5 available for the use of Walnut House.

The extent of the land for sale is identified on the site plan and the gross site area is approximately 0.22 acres (0.09 hectares).

Walnut House is located within the St David’s district of Exeter, approximately 0.1 miles south-west of Exeter College’s Hele Campus, 0.5 miles to the north-west of Exeter High Street and 0.6 miles to the south of University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus.

It is situated off St Davids Hill which provides direct access into the city centre in the north-east and towards Exeter St Davids train station in the south-west. It is bounded by student accommodation comprising 167 bedrooms to the north and north west, St Davids Hill to the east and by 4no. mews style cottages to the south west. The property’s situation is marked with a red circle on the adjacent location plan.

Walnut House is situated equidistant between Exeter St David’s Train Station (approximately 0.3 miles to the north-west) and Exeter Central Train Station (approximately 0.3 miles to the south-east). Exeter International Airport is located approximately 6 miles to the north-east of the property and provides flights to a small range of national and international destinations.

Location

Exeter is a vibrant and thriving cathedral city with a growing commercial base and an affluent catchment population. The city has a long and rich history which is reflected in many of the period buildings situated around the city.

Exeter benefits from excellent communication links, with two main line railway stations providing services to London Paddington and London Waterloo and an international airport, which provides services to a small range of national and international destinations.

Exeter offers a full range of facilities and amenities including an award winning shopping centre, a renowned College and a highly regarded Russell Group University, ranked 13th within The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.





Additional Info

On 30th June 2023, Exeter City Council granted full planning permission (reference: 23/0442/FUL) and listed building consent (reference: 23/0443/LBC) for change of use and conversion of the building to form 14 city suites (sui generis HMO) with associated works.

The planning permission creates 14no. City Suites, all with en-suite pod bathrooms but with a communal kitchen, living area and gardens.

There is potential to create a 15th unit subject to securing the necessary planning consents.
Floor plans for the proposed scheme are provided within the technical pack.

The property provides a prime conversion opportunity with scope of implementing the consented scheme or applying for an alternative use, subject to obtaining planning consent.

The property is Grade II Listed and is situated within the St David’s Conservation Area.

The University of Exeter is ranked 13th within The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 and is ranked 163rd within the QS 2023 World University Rankings. The University is undergoing an ambitious Capital Strategy which will see it invest £430m in its campus, estate and infrastructure over the next ten years.

There are currently approximately 29,549 full time students studying at the University of Exeter, 72% of which are from the UK, 5% from EU countries and 23% from non-EU countries.

The largest share of full time students in Exeter live in and around St David’s, with students in this area accounting for more than 25% of the population.