Plymouth's Civic Centre just got the green light

Plymouth's most recognisable skyline fixtures is about to get its second act.

Planning approval has been granted for the transformation of the Civic Centre - a Grade II listed tower that's been a symbol of the city's post-war ambition for decades - and we're the ones taking it on.

We're turning the 14-storey tower into 144 design-led homes for rent. One and two-bed apartments that make full use of the building's striking bones, built to the latest space, accessibility and tall buildings standards - and managed by our rental brand Ollo. The kind of city living Plymouth hasn't had before, in a building the city has never forgotten.

It's exactly our kind of project. A building that means something. A location that deserves better. A community that's waiting to happen.

What's going in

The tower becomes home to 144 apartments - proper ones, with quality interiors.

Below, the lower floors become a bold new campus for City College Plymouth - a Blue Green Skills Hub welcoming up to 2,000 students and putting Plymouth at the heart of the UK's emerging offshore wind, marine and net zero economy.

Floor by floor, the building comes alive:

• Ground floor - a public-facing welcome. Careers hub, sustainable bistro, wellness spa and digital space with AR and VR facilities
• Lower ground - six hands-on technical teaching workshops, completely transformed from what was a forgotten basement
• First floor - formal teaching classrooms

The upgrades

The building will also be having upgrades. New lift cores and staircases. Replacement cladding and glazing. A glazed roof structure. A spiral staircase and bridge link between the Council House and Civic Centre. A re-landscaped public realm with planting, seating and a refurbished pond.

The project is backed by public funding from the Future High Streets Fund, Levelling Up Fund and Homes England's Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund. That covers the shell and core.

Works to remove cladding are expected to begin this summer.

Why Plymouth

Plymouth is a city with serious ambition. The Civic Centre has been waiting for someone to match it. That's where we come in.

We've spent years restoring buildings like this across the UK - Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester, Stoke - and every one of them has taught us something. You have to respect what makes a place special while building something that works for how people actually live now.

That's what we're doing here.