What are we doing?
We are now working with City College Plymouth on exciting new plans for a skills hub in the Civic Centre.
The plan involves converting three levels of the Civic – the basement, the ground and first floors into a campus for up to 2,000 students, from school leavers to adult learners, to learn new skills in special facilities including a sustainable business centre, virtual training labs, science labs, career hubs and other education spaces.
Why are we doing this?
City College Plymouth has been looking to expand its offer. Its success in attracting strong engineering and construction partnerships has led the college to look further afield for locations to host a new skills hub for the city.
A new city centre campus could see up to 60 courses, focussing on the city’s emerging marine sector – the blue sector – as well as a host of programmes in the environmental – the green sector. Courses could cover construction, engineering, energy and science to offshore wind, electric vehicle technology, battery storage, net zero and sustainable technology.
Our major employers are predicting a wave of job opportunities – up to 8,000 new jobs to be created by 2030 – with a big focus on blue and green industries, especially now we are home to the first National Marine Park and a £2.2 billion investment expected in the dockyard.
We are working together as a city to support our communities to gain new skills so that the city can flourish.
What has happened so far?
The Council secured £8.5 million Levelling Up Funding for the project. To enable this change of direction for the Civic, we need to buy back the building from Urban Splash.
Urban Splash acquired the building in 2015 but recognise the scale of the opportunity for skills in Plymouth as well as a government investment totalling £18.5m and have agreed to sell the Civic and car park back to the Council to enable this project to happen.
There are a number of legal matters to address which are currently being worked on including a lease agreement with City College Plymouth and re-allocating £8.5m Levelling Up Funding to support capital works.
Once the Council formally owns the Civic Centre again, the first stage of restoration works can progress within the Future High Streets Fund grant window.
How long will the work take?
Later this year will see scaffolding, concrete repairs and minor demolitions to former 1970s extensions, with the costs covered by the FHSF grant.
A planning application for change of use will also need to be submitted.
The next stage will involve removing existing cladding, new cladding, roof repairs, fire protection, services and public realm landscaping. This work will make the building watertight and will de-risk the future delivery of housing in the main tower.
It is anticipated that internal fitout would start in 2026.