We have permitted ourselves the one monumental feature of the whole of Plymouth rebuilding - a great view seen from the forecourt entrance across the shopping and civic centre to the naval war memorial on the hoe "..." the vista will be the visitors guide.
A Plan For Plymouth, Abercrombie and Watson 1943 page 67
Following the impact of the blitz on the City Centre, A Plan For Plymouth, (Abercrombie and Watson 1943) was produced. A critical element of this was Armada Way, which presented a wide, ceremonial and direct boulevard connecting the Hoe to the station. It was designed to inspire a spirit of rebirth in the post-war period and inspire confidence for the future of the city.
Taking into account the topography of the land, with the city centre effectively lying within a basin, the overriding aim was to achieve a grand vista toward the Naval War Memorial. The idea was that visitors arriving by rail would have a clear route into the city centre along this key axis, with the view to the Hoe and the memorial as a constantly visible landmark, which was central to Abercrombie’s vision.
Armada Way formed the backbone of the original Beaux-Art plan, with the ‘Heritage Audit and Statement of Significance for Plymouth City Centre’ (2014) stating that it was probably the best realised element (of the plan). This made it a heritage asset of high significance.
Armada Way was to be a kilometre long processional, tree lined route for the people of Plymouth, running directly through the commercial centre, bisected by the smaller streets of the grid, whilst maintaining superiority and prominence over them.
The existing public realm features within Armada Way were constructed in the 1980s when the majority of the city centre streets were pedestrianised and, with the exception of the Piazza, have not been updated since. This landscaping was based around a winding stream and a series of curved landscapes, very much removed from the more formal and geometrical design intent in the original plans for Armada Way. This was acknowledged in the City Centre Heritage Audit which states that "The curved ornamental paving and artificial streams are at odds with the rectilinear geometry of the space and feel out of character with Abercrombie's strongly-planned Beaux-Arts axis".
Over the last 35 years, the hard landscaping has gradually become tired, damaged, broken and in some places dangerous to use by the public. The stream was switched off around 15 years ago due to the heavy cost of maintenance and difficulty in replacing the parts needed to keep it running. This, combined with the general sense of dilapidation in the landscaping, large bushes and darkened places that are inaccessible, gives the impression of an unloved city centre space, not the vibrant, exciting, busy and modern city centre which the Council is striving to achieve.