SOME of Exeter's most striking new buildings are in line for a top award because of their architectural excellence.

The new Exwick Heights Primary School, on Exwick Hill, and Cricklepit Mill are both contenders in the Royal Institution of British Architects Town & Country Design Awards. This year, seven out of the 14 shortlisted projects in the South West are in Devon.

Other projects are Battery Hill in Salcombe and Cleave Hill in East Devon, both private houses, John Kitto Community College in Plymouth, Stover School science block near Newton Abbott and the Rolle Estate Office in East Budleigh.

Cleave Hill is set within a sloping site — architects Van der Steen Hall used granite reclaimed from an abandoned quarry and oak felled and seasoned on the property.

Stover School science building, by architect firm Architecton of Bristol, has brick, zinc and glass on its exterior surfaces, and upgraded science facilities for girls at the school. The project has seen the creation of four new laboratories and four maths classrooms.

Devon Wildlife Trust is based at the Grade II-listed Cricklepit Mill in Exeter, with the conversion and extension carried out by RIBA architects Gillespie Yunnie of Dartington.

Exwick Heights Primary School, designed by Exeter-based NPS South West Ltd, uses timber in its structure and finishes, and incorporates environmentally- friendly systems to limit its carbon footprint.

Rolle Estate Office at East Budleigh is designed by Exeter-based architects Lacey Hickie Caley.

The winners will be announced at Exeter University on September 25.

Jon Watkins, head of the RIBA in the South West, said: “The enduring popularity of these awards is proof positive that the South West is a region with a proud affiliation to high-quality public and private design. The diversity demonstrated in the shortlist is quite incredible.”

NPS South West has already scooped two awards for the design of the £8.5m Exwick Heights building.

It won the Green Apple National Gold Award in recognition of its design expertise in reducing carbon emissions and energy use and it also won best environmental project category in the regional Built-in Quality Awards of the Local Authority Building Control Association.

The stunning structure, at the top of Exwick Hill, looks out across the city and boasts large classrooms and play areas, as well as a music studio and food technology area. It opened to children in January.

It took £500,000 for the shell of the Cricklepit Mill to be restored — the work was supported by Exeter City Council and English Heritage, who invested a total of £425,000.

The mill, which has foundations dating back to the 13th century, was last used as a working mill in the 1950s and suffered fire damage in 1999.