Vacancy and non A1 use
A comparison report by the Local Data Company identified overall vacancy rate in Plymouth city centre as 10.9 per cent. This compares favourably with Exeter (12.9 per cent) and Torquay (13.5 per cent) and the south west average of 14 per cent.
Vacant units in retail centres chart and data table [16KB]
The most recent retail survey carried out by Plymouth City Council took place in 2010, four years after the opening of Drake Circus in October 2006. Over that period occupancy in the Drake Circus centre has risen to 97 per cent. In contrast, occupancy in the city centre has fallen from 97 per cent to 85 per cent. This means a gain of 61 retail units in Drake Circus and a loss of 8 units in the prime city centre frontages, resulting in an additional 53 occupied retail units overall. However analysis by number of retail units alone can mask the impact of vacancies, for example where the vacant units such as Derry’s and Woolworths occupy large frontages.
The district and local centres across the city and the remainder part of the city centre would appear to have been less affected by the opening of Drake Circus or by the global recession. In these areas vacancy rates have fluctuated slightly but generally show an improving picture since 2007. The most significant trend has been the number of units in the local centres in particular that have changed from A1 retail uses to other uses such as tanning salons.
District centres (percentage vacant units)
| Name | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Centre - central prime frontage | 10% | 12% | 15% |
| City Centre - remainder prime frontage | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Drake Circus | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Estover | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mutley Plain | 13% | 7% | 7% |
| Plympton Ridgeway | 12% | 7% | 6% |
| Plymstock Broadway | 15% | 15% | 7% |
| Roborough | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| St Budeaux | 5% | 0% | 5% |
| Transit Way | 0% | 14% | 7% |
| All local centres | 10% | 10% | 10% |
Local centres with the highest percentage of vacant units
| Name | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Lipson Vale | 67% |
| Peverell Corner | 33% |
| Stone Barton | 33% |
| Underwood | 33% |
| Station Road (Devonport) | 21% |
| Albert Road | 19% |
| Ebrington Street | 19% |
| Marlborough Street | 18% |
| Beaumont Road | 15% |
| Stoke Village | 15% |
This page of the annual monitoring report was last updated December 2011.