Neama mohamed mahmoud
I love Exeter too mush becouse I was study there my big love come to me in the high street I loved every day there and I married him now and I have asmall doughter I wish we can go there again with our memories
becki
I think Exeter, unlike most places in the UK in current times, has maintained a great sense of English heritage and history. Exeter does have some great, unique and 'one-off' shops, perhaps not so frequent in the high street, because this is lined with 'high street stores', however, you visit Gandy street and find many more unique shops and cafes.I am 18 and have lived here all my life, i don't intend to move.Why is it that we require two train stations and transport from nearby villages? As markie points out there must be a purpose to these shops and they survive for a reason!
Yanto Exewick
Much prefer Plymouth. A city by the sea, Exeter looks very faded and the split between students and 15 year old hickey ridden chav mums is striking.Plymouth for me every time.
charlotte
i moved abroad from exeter last year and exeter is the only thing i miss except my friends.it's just soo nice. i am homesick for a walk around the city soon.
alice kingett
i think exeter is lovely i love gandi street with moko and ferkins (my all time fav shop) i dont like what it is becoming though with all the nocking buildings down and creating new big places which dont evan suit! i think it should all be like gandi street because its all hippy(ish) and peacefull! please take a thought into this ..x..
dave - Exeter
Exeter is boring and full of chavs and teenage mums.The entire centre is a total dump anyone who says it is nice is living in a dream world - I doubt the have been anywhere else to compare it with.
Hannah Couzens, willand
its only there for shops as a local highstreet so if it has the facilities it needs for the public which it does i know as i regulary shop there so it dosent need to be flashy but not dirty and its perfect for a day out shopping with the girls or boys.
Lou - Exeter
I really like Exeter, the shops are really good and there is a really good range of shops. The Cathedral is beautiful and no way is it a clone town!True, the highstreet could be a bit cleaner and more exciting but it's no worse then Reading or others! Have these people actually been to Exeter?
Garry - Exeter
I love Exeter and there is a shop in Sidwell street called Xpression and that is a really good shop. The high street is good and has many good shop. I think Exeter is a really good place to shop. It will be even better when the new shops turn up. I still think we need a Toys R Us, that would be great.
anna, 21, teignmouth/wimbledon
Yes and no- Exeter high street consist mainly of shops of the likes of New Look, Oasis, Top Shop, Laura Ashly, M&S, HMV, Boots etc and even now a Primark! But so? Why is this a problem?. If Exeter high street didn’t have all the basic normal shops that sell a guaranteed selection of stock, then where else would half of South Devon go to do some high street shopping? The only other place is Plymouth, which to some is too far away; for me an hours drive.
On other streets like Ghandy Street, around the Cathedral and further down the bottom end there are lots of individual shops. You can't blame Exeter for people's laziness not to explore the city! Torquay and Totness are full of odd quirky shops for those who want just that kind of shopping. I would hate Exeter to change.
And in response to some saying that Exeter could do with a water park, petting zoo, arcade gaming hall or two, you have to appreciate that some people don’t want to live in a characterless void. (And I would like the NEF to comment on these posts, perhaps evidence of a certain survey being slightly less than worthy?)
Pps. I live in Wimbledon as a student- it is the most appalling high street I have ever had the displeasure of being forced to shop in.
markie boy
If people wanted all independent shops surely they would all still be there? In which case, how do all those big boys survive, perhaps shoppers visiting them!!! It's a great place to shop, but why, oh why, do they allow those rotten buses access? Town planners, wake up!!!!
Lauren - Exeter
What are they talking about? there are tons of non-chain stores! exeter is my favourite place to shop because it has such a range of different places, you can usually find exactly what you're looking for, i rarely ask for anything more. this survey obviously didnt look around very thouroughly, if they had they'd have found streets such as cathedral yard and ghandi street which have excellent independant retailers and "quirky" shops.
charlie
Exeter is great for shopping if you are in your teens - like me- it's perfect for clothes and other bits and pieces
Sophie
Nope the first time i went up exeter it was great my Aunt lives there so now i go up alot there are indavidual shops 4 every one noone in my town says its a bad place.
natoX.x.X
Exeter is'nt that gd 4 shopping but if it's just little thing's u want u can normally find what ur lookin 4.
Susan James
The High Street certainly warrants this description. However, there also exists one of the best selections of alternative shops available anywhere as soon as you leave the main thoroughfare. A good balance overall.
Abi - 17 Devon
i have only visited Exter a few times, and i have found my time there very enjoyable. i can't think of any other place i would want to go christmas shopping, because you have all the big stores there as well as the smaller more independant stores. Exeter is by far the best city i have visited because it has the local feel to it. you cannot compare Exeter to places like London because they are two very different places. London is chaotic and hectic, where as Exeter is small and family based. the NEF need to take these things into consideration.
Emma
So okay... most shops on the high street are like ones you find in every town is that a bad thing..? we have tons of individual shops in Exeter like, Mansons, the Electric Gypsy, The Real Mccoy, Ferkins... so don't DARE you label us bland!!!
Jazz-Exeter
Look. I think our town is great! having indivual shops is a bonus!There is so much history in Exeter to. Im proud to be a citezen!!!
Big Ash - Exeter
I love Exeter, all the main shops are in one place. The catherdal is stunning. What has Plymouth got....? I am trying to think of something.
John
Does anyone find that the people who say exeter is bland are people who have only ever visited a few times. I go there frequently and i Think its great! and It lhas a lot of independant shopes, just not on the high street! And in someways its good, because you know where to go to look for something, for example, wanting something that you could buy cheaply in a chain store.
Mizz,11 from Devon.
I think exeter is good for shopping but I also think they could make exeter better. I like plymouth better because the transports easer and its got more grass and open spaces where you can run around. I think if you put some more parks and open spaces and also maby open a few more road lanes so it wouldn't take so long to get into exeter. The cathederal is a really amazing building and it brings exeter to life. I know I dont live there but I do visit.
Anna,11 from Devon
I live in Totnes and me and my mum often go down to Exeter. I dont think it's boring and I really enjoy browsing around the many shops it has to offer. Yeah it's not the most exciting city but it has an amazing cathedral and grounds, and besides, what city doesn't have the typical features.Chain shops and a busy highstreet. Even the centre of London is like that. I think it's a wicked place to go shopping and really enjoy going there as it's so different to anywhere around where I live.
Phil from Exeter
To a certain degree,they`re right.However,are`nt all cities the same?They`ve all got their Dixons,Littlewoods,Argos,Woolworths etc.It is when you go off the High St that you find the diversification of shops.Exeter is a roman city, which,I would imagine if viewed from above,would show that it has very little chance of altering,unless it was flattened like Plymouth.The NEF appears not to take this into aaccount.There is no other CITY(not Town)like EXETER,With regards to shopping,Exeter people shop there,but also to Plymouth,Taunton & Bristol & vice-versa.They need to get their facts RIGHT before shouting the odds.
Brian - Newton Abbot
It's a shame that Exeter has become a victim of its own success. In that High Street rentals are so high only the big chain stores can afford to locate there. One thing I would say is that at least the streets of the high street are full of independent shops and great eating venues including around the cathedral green. This obviously wasn't taken into account in the recent survey. I am encouraged that in the guide books that many overseas visitors use, such as Lonely Planet, Exeter is described quiet favourably and is seen as a "vibrant city" with the most "buzzing nightlife and culture in the region". Its also great to see an increase in visitors to the city from other parts of the UK, I have heard more Scottish & Geordie accents of late thanks to the flybe direct air services to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Sally - Mutley
We were saddened by the report about CloneCity Exeter and went back on Saturday to see if anything had radically changed recently. Quite the reverse! Although a largish chunk of the High Street is like Plymouth and has nothing but 'clone' chain stores all the side streets and elsewhere are still full of the up and middle market specialist shops that Plymouth can only dream of and will not feature in the new Drake Circus complex nor will they arise in the old postwar city as suggested below. Rest Assured Exeter still has 10 times the selection of Plymouth and is easily worth the 40 minute drive.
joanna hoad
I've been living in Canada
for almost 20 years and
coming home to Exeter is
always a thrill. While
development is inevitable,
thus far, it seems to be well
done. Although the post-war
architecture is a bit of a
blight, be careful what you
wish for. Let the high street
be and encourage the ecelctic
in the side streets. In my
travels, the best things are
tucked away. There have been
some terrible steel and
glass disasters world-wide.
Tread carefully and embrace
the past asyou build toward
the future.
Jason - West Devon
The trouble with this survey is they are only looking at ONE street. It is wrong to generalise about the City Centre. There is plenty of variety in Fore St, South St, Sidwell St, Paris St and especially Gandy St where the rental values are lower. Generally though these kinds of shops (more specialist) are located peripherally for a reason. High Street is a very attractive shopping environment and people come BECAUSE they know they will find the best shops there. An example of this is Exeter has the only GAP and H&M stores in Devon and Cornwall. Exeter was also the highest ranked shopping centre in the South West in the last Experian survey. That's a positive rather than negative aspect in my book.
I also take issue with the merits of having vets, garages and the like in a busy and viable shopping centre... It would be like aspiring to some kind of 'Trumpton' model with butchers, bakers and candlestick makers!
Paul Nuttall
John Harvey would disagree as he is paid to promote Exeter. I agree with the survey. High St and its surrounds are dreadful. Get rid of the buses, plant more trees, shrubs etc and make sure thatb the new development does not just add to the blandness.
Simon, Exeter
Exeter should make it's High Street traffic free, then market stalls could be placed down the centre selling farm produce etc. This would make Exeter a much better shopping experience.
Siobhan Rooney
Having had the misfortune to live in Stevenage for a couple of years, it is highly ironic that Exeter should be labelled 'bland.' Unlike Exeter's Gandy Street, Fore Street, the Cathedral Close and Quay, Stevenage has no independent shops or in fact, any sign of culture at all. The producers of this survey should have made the effort to look further than the end of their nose.
Simon, Bethnal Green
No doubt Exeter has become another boring homogenised English town, and I bet if the liberal /Left (ie the BBC) had their way, they would want to ethnically cleanse the area and turn it into another "vibrant" and "diverse" place like Brixton, Shepherd's Bush or Bethnal Green.
Hamish Anderson - Exeter
I agree with the report. Exeter is a bland, desolate, featureless (other than the cathedral) place. I moved here with the met office, and whilst the westcountry offers a great deal for leisure activities, Exeter has very little. It doesn't even offer a multiplex. Does everyone go to bed at 7.30 in this town?
Emily Davis
Exeter - Dull and boring? A clone town? These people have obviously never been to Wolverhampton, Walsall, Stevenage, Milton Keynes or even Taunton. Having lived and worked around the UK and only recently moved to the Devon area, my partner, his 14 year old daughter and myself all commented on how nice Exeter was to shop in, with such a wide diversity of shops. We also appreciated the fact that the city council were aware that the post-war buildings did not have the aesthetic charm they were looking for and are taking major steps to deal with this. I don't know who did this poll, but they obviously did it with their eyes shut.
Janis Green
I quite agree - Exeter is a clone town. For many years the City Council seems to have followed a policy that discouraged small shopkeepers. Many have been evicted from their premises to make way for new developments that do not include any suitable units that they could afford. The new Princesshay development is an prime example of this - but it's only the latest in a string of similar decisions.
Jenny Murch of Shrewsbury
Bland and Boring!
Take a look at the 'sprawl' of 'cloned' out-of-town shopping developments that are gobbling up our precious countryside; putting more cars on the road and denuding our town and city centres. All those so-called 'Cathederals to Consumerism' - and each one looking identical from Plymouth to Perth. At least Exeter has retained some of its character and rural status, and that's why it reminds me so much of my home town. Independent traders are struggling against the larger stores right across the country, and Exeter is no different. It is a city I have been proud to have been associated with both as a tourist and one time as a teacher in the area. You have a city to be proud of - treasure it!
Rex Schneider
If I want interesting presents for people I go to Topsham or Totnes rather than waste time scouring Exeter for anything original. Most of what Exeter can offer are generic products that are available with less hassle on the internet - and the internet doesn't have Exeter's extortionate parking charges...
joey davids
i do agree, been exeter several times & it is dull, boring, & worst than anywhere else.
michael warman
if exeter is a clone town then they should clone more of them with the history and charm it has a few more would be good
