Bath-based architects Stubbs Rich’s plans for a 35,000 sq ft Volkswagen dealership in Exeter have been given the go ahead.
The showroom will be the first building to be constructed on the city’s Matford Green Business Park and will include a 22-car showroom and a 15-bay workshop, plus a large used car display area, with additional parking capacity provided on a roof deck.
Showcasing a new retail concept for Volkswagen, the building will boast clean, unfussy interiors and give an air of spaciousness. 
Designed as a low-energy, sustainable building, it is set to achieve high environmental credentials, including a BREEAM rating of “very good”.
Stubbs Rich will achieve this by using a range of active and passive design measures including photovoltaic panels, a sustainable urban drainage system and maximising natural lighting.
The building will create a landmark entrance to the business park, where outline planning consent has already been granted for up to 500,000 sq ft of employment space and 30,000 sq ft for leisure and retail facilities.
Stubbs Rich partner and lead designer for the scheme, Mike Rolfe, said: “This is a highly prestigious scheme with a strong, contemporary design that will give presence to the entrance of Matford Green Business Park.
“The granting of planning consent is fantastic news and means work to create this new commercial space for Exeter can progress, bringing jobs and further business opportunities.”
The dealership will replace an existing facility, which has operated from a site in Marsh Barton for 25 years. Construction work is about to start.
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