Vision to create ‘30 tower blocks’ in masterplan for city

REDACTIONS FROM SECRET MEETINGS ARE REVEALED

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

ARCHITECTS have been looking at a plan to fit 30 tower blocks into Plymouth’s city centre as part of a masterplan to create 10,000 homes.

The move, which would represent the biggest change to Plymouth’s skyline since World War Two and potentially give it a similar appearance to New York or London, has been discussed in “secret” meetings about city centre redevelopment.

Heavily redacted minutes of the meetings have been released by Plymouth City Council under Freedom of Information Act-style requests. Although censored, the documents contain revelations about what is being mulled over for the city. These include:

Architects have been working on a plan that would see 30 “high residential towers” in the city centre.

Concerns over “inappropriate development” and the impact thousands of homes would have on the city centre’s heritage and conservation area.

Discussions around the impact on city centre roads, new schools and other infrastructure and how much the whole thing will cost.

Areas earmarked for housing include the Civic Centre, but also “Armada North” and the West End, particularly around Colin Campbell Court.

The prospect of further housing development outside the “core city centre area” mooted and predicted to be “controversial”.

The need for external consultants to be brought in to sell the “vision” to the populace and politicians with major consultations taking place.

The time-frame with development work potentially spread over 15 years.

That Homes England looked at buying the Moneycentre - along with the former Salvation Army Congress Hall, Mayflower House, and the ex-Good Companions site - before it was sold to new owners recently for flats.

The details are included in minutes of the Plymouth Strategic Investment and Regeneration Board and cover four meetings held in August and December 2024, and February and March this year.