Plymouth planning 10,000 homes in city centre
Plymouth Council and Homes England have produced a vision for Plymouth city centre, which sets out a shared ambition to provide 10,000 new homes in the city centre.
The report recognises there will be around £4.4bn of government investment in HM Naval Base Devonport over the next 10 years, stimulating demand for new homes. It also estimates that dockyard operator Babcock International Group will need 5,500 new employees and a further 2,000 construction jobs could be created in the dockyard.,
The city centre currently has a low level of housing, with only 1,000 homes, compared with 8,000 homes for typical cities of Plymouth’s size.
Plymouth Council and Homes England have produced a vision for Plymouth city centre, which sets out a shared ambition to provide 10,000 new homes in the city centre.
The report recognises there will be around £4.4bn of government investment in HM Naval Base Devonport over the next 10 years, stimulating demand for new homes. It also estimates that dockyard operator Babcock International Group will need 5,500 new employees and a further 2,000 construction jobs could be created in the dockyard.,
The city centre currently has a low level of housing, with only 1,000 homes, compared with 8,000 homes for typical cities of Plymouth’s size.
However, in the past 18 months, the council and Homes England have set up a strategic regeneration and infrastructure board, combining resources to produce a delivery plan for up to 12,000 new homes over a 15-year period.
Council leader Tudor Evans said: “This is huge and very exciting. We have talked about creating more homes in the city centre for a few years now, but this will help catapult words and plans into bricks, mortar and homes.
“The regeneration of the city centre has a major role to play in supporting the Growth Alliance Plymouth programme to deliver new housing, new skills provision and, through regeneration, to transform perceptions of the city centre.
“We have been working with Homes England to establish Plymouth as a priority place for investment and to bring forward plans to deliver 10,000 new homes as part of a ‘new town in the city’. We have a memorandum of understanding that describes the strategic objectives of our partnership, including the exploration of a potential joint venture.”
Eamonn Boylan, chief executive at Homes England, said: “The partnership between Plymouth City Council and Homes England is a brilliant example of how the public sector can unite to promote and accelerate housing delivery. The agency will work with the council and other key stakeholders in the Growth Alliance Plymouth programme to bring forward ambitious development plans, including a shared a vision for up to 12,000 new homes across a prioritised pipeline of sites.”
