24/01/2023
Find out how you can help Ride On Cycling find a new home.
On 3rd January 2023, we received a circular letter from the development arm of Exeter City Council, Exeter City Living (ECL), advising us of a public consultation that is being held this month. The consultation is looking for feedback on the plan to redevelop part of Haven Road, with the aim of creating a new watersports facility and 37 residential homes. Ride On subsequently received a phone call from ECL the same afternoon, advising that we will need to vacate our premises by September.
ECL have apologized for the way we received our notice and will make suggestions for alternative locations. They have subsequently agreed that we can remain on site until the end of 2023, which gets us through our busiest period of the year. We are looking forward to working positively with ECL.
Our site is being developed to complement the City Council vision for Water Lane. This aims to create “an enterprising, self-sustaining community, a place to work as well as to live close to the city's best loved assets. This will be a walkable place where day to day needs can be met without the use of a car.”
Since Ride On was founded we have put over 5200 donated bicycles back into use, 775 of those in 2022. Imagine if all those people were driving cars instead.
We’re more than just a bike shop. We work with local charities and organizations like the NHS, to help people recover from issues around homelessness, addiction and poor health. We don’t just fix bikes, we help to fix people too.
You can read more on our impact here:https://www.rideoncycling.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Annual-Report-202122-1.pdf
Exeter City Council have been excellent landlords for our charity, they are committed to finding us an alternative location, and their staff were quick to respond when we advised them of the communication from ECL.
We are working hard to find an alternative location and to secure the future of the charity. If you know of a suitable site please get in touch.
The consultation webpage on the development is available on the link below, we would encourage you to read the information and to respond. One point of clarity - the consultation webpage states that 61-63 Haven Road is occupied by the Watersports Association, this is incorrect. We have occupied 61 Haven Road since 2014, and still do! We’ve raised this with ECL.
Respond here by Friday January the 27th:
https://exetercanalside.commonplace.is/
