Plymouth's Civic Centre will be 'hive of activity' in few weeks
In the next few weeks people will see the hoarding around the Civic extended and work begin in earnest
It’s full steam ahead on Plymouth’s Civic Centre which will be “a hive of activity” from September.
Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) described it as “an enormous sense of relief” to see the redevelopment of the iconic building coming off the starting blocks.
Cabinet members agreed on Monday to award builder Morgan Sindall the phase one contract – worth £6,488,753 – and to reprofile £7.2 million of previously-approved corporate borrowing to allow work to progress immediately.
Scaffolding on the 14 storey grade II listed building will take three months to erect and then cladding removed.
The Civic will be stripped back and essentially be unbuilt and built up again and will be both “a magnificent sight” to see and a “herculean task” for the project team.
In the next few weeks people will see the hoarding around the Civic extended and work begin in earnest.
The frame of the building will be exposed next year for the first time since the 1960s.
Phase two will begin in August 2027 as contract teams move inside the building. In 2029 it will be handed over to City College and developers Capital&Centric for the fit out.
Cllr Matt Smith (Lab, Compton), cabinet member for housing, city centre regenerations and events, said the £47 million scheme was one of the most ambitious projects Plymouth had ever seen.
The transformation into 144 high quality apartments with “jaw dropping” views to The Hoe and beyond, a City College blue and green skills campus and the return of a rooftop restaurant is expected to be a catalyst for city centre living.
Just as the building symbolised the rebirth of Plymouth after the devastation of world war two, it will hold the same significance as Plymouth enters a new period of revival.
Cllr Smith said the project was more than a building, it was the start of something much bigger and would be “market making”.
“This shines a light to funders and developers about the scale of ambition and they will see that putting housing here really does work.
“We don’t really have a market for housing at the moment in the city centre but hopefully more people will want to come in and build. This is the first step and we are creating excitement.”
The councillor highlighted that risks that the council faced financially as more of the building was exposed – the removal of the external cladding will enable external structural surveys.
The stage two contract also carries the risk of increasing costs given the ongoing impact of the war in the Middle East on fuel and other construction costs.
It is one of very few high-rise regeneration schemes in the UK and one of the first to comply with the new Building Safety Act which was introduced post Grenfell.
Plymouth City Council will enter into a 125-year lease with City College Plymouth to enable a significant investment by the college.
Following completion of the restoration works, they plan to occupy the lower floors and basement for a blue green skills hub, providing training for up to 2,000 students each year across more than 60 courses.
The government’s housing and regeneration agency has contributed £18.4 million towards the Civic Centre.
The work includes the restoration of the reflection pond and new public realm spaces and £600,000 will be spent on repairing the leak and pumping system on the civic pond which has been out of action for nearly two years.
Work will start on the civic pond in December after planning permission is granted and be completed by April which “will be good news to lots of people in the city” said Cllr Smith.
Cabinet members said people were getting inpatient because not much had appeared to be happening on the Civic Centre but that would all change at the end of September.
Graham Kingdon, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the South West, said:
“This is a complex and highly significant project for Plymouth. The Civic Centre building is instantly recognisable and has stood empty for far too long, so being trusted by Plymouth City Council to bring it back to life is something we’re incredibly proud of.
“Through close collaboration and careful planning, our aim is to preserve the building’s unique character while creating spaces that serve the city for generations to come.”