Sandy Park to become music venue

Ewan Edwards Tech Editor

ASTAPLE of Exeter’s sporting scene from varsity matches to the home of the Chiefs, Sandy Park may be about to get a new lease of life in a move to open the stadium as a live music venue. This is all in a bid to generate extra income as the Exeter Chiefs, chaired by Tony Rowe MBE, face financial trouble: Their current borrowings amount to a sum of £28.1 million. Over the last 12 months, The Wasps and Worcester Warriors have fallen into administration, for the Chiefs to face the same would remove them from the Premiership The application, which was debated on Monday the 30th of January by Exeter City Council, sought to add “plays, boxing and wrestling, films, live music and recorded music” to the existing Sandy Park licensing. It outlined a strict capacity of 19,999 people, which includes members of the public, staff, crew and artists. This could make Exeter become a bigger hub for culture and music. There have been 14 representations from local residents in objection to the proposed plans, focusing on queer history and ‘Wild Onion’, a cabaret at Exeter Phoenix.

The Vice-Chancellor commented on the month, stating that it is “an opportunity for us all to celebrate the diversity of our Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer or Questioning community and reflect on how we can create a more inclusive and safe community for everyone to be their true selves. I am very proud to share that since we celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month last year, we received a Gold Award, given by LGBTQ+ equality charity, Stonewall, for our commitment and efforts to become an LGBTQ+ inclusive employer, as part of the Workplace Equality Index (WEI), which highlights the importance of inclusive work environments. We also achieved our highest-ever position in the Stonewall WEI, ranking 148 out of the 403 organisations that participated in WEI 2022.” these are predominantly on grounds of public nuisance and environmental health. Exeter Rugby Club have included provisions to combat such nuisance by monitoring noise levels and keeping a clear record of such noise as well as having “all public areas of the licensed premises” kept under CCTV. The plans await the response of the council.

Full details of the events and resources for LGBTQ+ History Month are available on the Guild and University websites.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene at about 8:10pm. Cook, from Exeter, was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with a stab wound to the chest. Three other prior suspects will face no further police action after initially being arrested. A 19-year-old man from Christchurch, Dorset, had been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 29-year-old woman from Exeter and a 32-year-old man from Exmouth were arrested on suspicion of affray.

Tributes have been laid outside Betfred on Sidwell Street, where Cook was found.

DI Stephanie Blundell, the investigation leader, said: “Enquiries are ongoing and residents should expect to see continuing police activity in Exeter connected to this investigation over the coming week. In the light of the ongoing investigation we would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances of this case on social media.”

Cook found himself homeless following drug and alcohol addictions and time in prison. However, he was known for playing guitar and making gifts out of painted stones. In 2017 he saved a man from drowning in the River Exe.

Commenting on night safety in Exeter, the Students’ Guild stated: “We want our students to have a good time when they are out experiencing all the nightlife Exeter has to offer. We also want to make sure our students know how to stay safe, and get home safely too. The Safe Zone app is a free system to enhance your personal safety by connecting you to Estate Patrol.It has four main functions — First Aid, Emergency, Security and Wellbeing Assistance.

Exeter Safe Space is a new initiative, supported by the Guild, which provides a warm safe welcome to anyone needing support during a night out in the city centre. The Safe Space can be found at St Stephens Church and operates on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 23:00 – 03.30.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information or dashcam footage that could help officers is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police.