A church has lodged a new planning application to change the use of a large warehouse on Marsh Barton into a community hub, proposing a mix of worship, training, workspace and support services that its backers say would operate seven days a week.
What is being proposed at Signal House
The applicant, Rediscover Church — through the Elim Trust Corporation acting as trustee for the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance — wants full planning permission to convert Signal House, 15 Cofton Road, from a warehouse to a mixed-use facility. The building sits on the Marsh Barton industrial estate, one of Exeter's key employment areas.
Plans submitted this month set out a range of uses across the building. The church says the auditorium would provide 363 seats, and the wider property would host concerts, conferences and community events as well as regular worship.
- Ground floor: public café, commercial kitchen, food bank, prayer room, creche, SEND area and meeting facilities.
- First floor: youth rooms, training room, multi-purpose studio, podcast and music studio, flexible office and hot-desking space.
- Community services: youth activities, toddler groups, SEND support, asylum seeker and refugee assistance, and mental health counselling.
The church states it has been seeking a permanent home for more than eight years and views Signal House as "the first property it has identified that meets all of its requirements." It reports a congregation of between 450 and 500 people attending across two services, and highlights a programme of community outreach and support.
"the first property it has identified that meets all of its requirements."
Why the application has returned
This submission is a resubmission following an earlier proposal that was refused. The previous application was rejected primarily over concerns about the loss of employment land on Marsh Barton and what the local planning authority regarded as insufficient evidence about alternative premises for the church.
In response, the new planning statement says it provides "substantially more evidence" to address those points. Helen Lami is named in the planning documents as Rediscover Church's finance and project lead and as a contact for the application.
| Feature | Detail (as in application) |
|---|---|
| Address | Signal House, 15 Cofton Road, Marsh Barton |
| Proposed auditorium capacity | 363 seats |
| Congregation size | 450–500 across two services |
| Approx. building area | Approximately 2,898 sq (as stated in the application) |
Local residents, employers on Marsh Barton and council planners will be watching the application closely. Marsh Barton is a vital employment hub for Exeter and the wider south-west, and policies typically aim to protect land that supports jobs and local industry.
Supporters of the proposal emphasise the community benefits: year-round activities, increased access to training and workspace, targeted support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and services for refugees, asylum seekers and those experiencing poor mental health. Opponents — including some planning officers in the previous decision — argued that removing employment floorspace could weaken the estate's role in providing jobs.
The planning statement says that the church has supplied further evidence about alternative sites and the community need for the facility. The local planning authority will now consider whether that material sufficiently mitigates the harm identified in the earlier refusal.
Any decision will have implications beyond the immediate site. If approved, the scheme could broaden the range of community facilities available in Exeter and provide flexible workspace and training opportunities. If refused again, the church says it will continue to seek a permanent home that meets its operational needs.
For many on the edges of the city, Marsh Barton is a place of work rather than worship; this application puts the two in direct conversation. The outcome will reflect how the city balances protecting employment land with enabling community-led projects to address social need.
