Council called Armada Way plan 'a loss leader'

MINUTES OF SECRET MEETINGS SHOW IT WAS ALWAYS TO RUN AT LOSS

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

PLYMOUTH'S £30m Armada Way regeneration has been described as a "loss leader" at a secret meeting.

The ambitious scheme, already credited for leading a city centre renaissance, was said to be intended to literally pave the way for future developments.

One example given was the forthcoming £49m reboot of Plymouth's crumbling Civic Centre, which was also revealed as likely to be loss-making in minutes of the same committee. A loss leader is generally defined as something sold at a loss to attract customers.

After The Herald broke the news that the Civic Centre was not expected to break even, council leader Tudor Evans moved to stress it was not a "money making" project. He said it would deliver benefits for Plymouth and boost the economy of the city centre.

Both the Armada Way upgrade and the Civic Centre have now been revealed to be likely loss-makers in minutes of the Plymouth Strategic Investment and Regeneration Board, which contains top council officers and representatives of various Government departments. The minutes, heavily redacted, were only revealed after Freedom of Information Act-type requests.