Work is due to re-start this week on the transformation of Plymouth’s derelict Civic Centre. Newly appointed contractors will be heading into the 14-storey skyscraper to make sure it is safe before experts can assess the state of the structure.
Plymouth City Council, which brought the Grade II listed building back from developer Urban Splash for just £1 last year, has now appointed Cornwall-headquartered Gwella Contracting Services to complete internal strip out work. This is part of a project to create a new skills hub for City College Plymouth in the lower floors.
The authority said Levelling Up Funding has now been confirmed, following the Autumn budget, which will allow the next important stages of the revamp project to go ahead.
Work had begun on the interior of the tower but stopped when a company employed by Urban Splash went bust in November 2023. Squibb Group, which was carrying out demolition and a soft-strip of internal fittings, pulled its equipment off the site prior to being wound up and going into liquidation leaving debts of more than £24m.
But now work will resume inside, including making the building safe ahead of structural surveyors going in to further assess the condition of the skyscraper. This stage of the project will continue for at least three months.
Last year the council agreed to buy back the Civic Centre from Manchester-headquartered Urban Splash and revealed plans for a £51m redevelopment, It said it wanted to turn the upper storeys into 144 apartments, having secured £8.5m to create a City College Plymouth campus in the bottom three floors.
The campus would be focussed on delivering future “green” and “blue” environmental and marine sector jobs and skills. City College Plymouth is looking to expand its offer and is seeking a new central location for a skills hub to build on its success in attracting strong engineering and construction partnerships.
The proposals for a new city centre skills hub could see up to 60 courses being delivered, focussing on the city’s emerging marine sector – known as the blue sector – as well as a host of programmes in the environment – the green sector.
Cllr Mark Lowry, cabinet member for finance, said: “I am sure people will be pleased to see movement and progress on this important landmark building. A lot of work has been taking place behind the scenes to make sure we have the right people able to oversee this complex project. We have a way to go yet, but this is an important step in the right direction.”
In March last year, Cllr Lowry told PlymouthLive the Civic Centre revamp would involve concrete repairs, minor demolition of a 1970s extension, removal of external cladding, new cladding put on and the roof repaired.
Work on the fit-out of the lowest three storeys to create the City College Plymouth skills hub could be finished by late 2026. Cllr Lowry said work on the flats could be completed by early 2028.
He said the overall revamp would cost £51m with the council already having about £19m secured, including £8.5m of Levelling Up cash. He said the authority was hoping the Government will provide another £11.1m for housing. The remaining £20m would have to come from loans which would be repaid when the flats sell.
Gwella, which means “best” in Cornish, is headquartered in Redruth but has bases across the South West including a Devon site in Exeter. It is an employee-owned company and a specialist in asbestos removal, which makes up the bulk of its income.
Gwella Contracting Services Ltd’s accounts for the year to the end of March 2024 revealed a turnover of £14.034m and an after-tax profit of £888,329. The company, incorporated in 2020, employs 109 people.
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