Our vision for the city centre and university area is to create a lively and vibrant mixed use regional centre which provides high quality regional shopping, together with a range of facilities for living, working and recreation - both by day and night.
This Area Action Plan sets out land use policies and proposals to create a real 'downtown' centre that offers residents and visitors 24-hour life, with specialised shops, restaurants and pubs alongside a choice of entertainment and culture; and to improve connections with adjacent areas.
Vision diagram
Where we are
The City Centre and University Area Action Plan was formally adopted by Full Council on 26 April 2010.
The City Centre and University Area Action Plan was adopted by Full Council on 26 April 2010.
The City Centre and University Area Action Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 30 October 2009 and is now subject to a public examination by an independent inspector. This page provides updates on the progress of the examination, and links to relevant documents and guidance.
Mr Douglas Machin BSC DipTP MRTPI of the Planning Inspectorate has been appointed by the Secretary of State to conduct the examination into the compliance and soundness of the Area Action Plan. The inspector has published his guidance notes, which can be downloaded below.
Examination hearings
The formal hearings opened on Tuesday 26 January 2010 at 10am, at The Council House, Civic Centre, Plymouth, and will continue on:
- Monday 1 February 2010 from 10am to 12.30pm in the Reception Room, First Floor (above main entrance), Council House, Civic Centre, Plymouth, and
- Tuesday 2 February 2010 from 10am to 12 noon in the Warspite Room, Council House, Civic Centre, Plymouth
More details are contained in the Inspector's guidance note below. The Inspector's programme for the hearings can be downloaded below.
Participants' statements
The statements produced by participants in the hearings, including the Council, can be viewed and downloaded from the hearing statements section below.
Pre-hearing meeting
The pre-hearing meeting took place on 15 December 2009 at 11am in the Frobisher Room, Council House, Civic Centre, Plymouth PL1 2AA.
Programme Officer
All examination correspondence should be addressed to the Programme Officer, who is independent of the Council and reports directly to the Inspector, c/o Development Planning, Planning Services, Department of Development, Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Plymouth PL1 2EW. Telephone 07803 512803 or email programmeofficer@plymouth.gov.uk.
Helpful documents
You may find the information below and produced by the Planning Inspectorate useful sources of information about compliance and soundness and the examination process in general:
Brief guide to examining Development Plan Documents (Planning Inspectorate)
Soundness guide for examining Development Plan Documents: Provides guidance to Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and all those involved in the Development Plan Document (DPD) examination process (Planning Inspectorate)
Inspector's programme for hearings continued from 26 January 2010 [PDF, 18KB]
The hearing statements for the City Centre and University Area Action Plan examination which is being held at 10am on 26 January 2010, The Council House, Civic Centre, Plymouth can be downloaded below:
As part of Plymouth's Local Development Framework (LDF), we submitted the City Centre and University Area Action Plan to the Secretary of State on 30 October 2009.
This followed a six week consultation period on the pre-submission draft Area Action Plan which took place between August and September 2009. The Area Action Plan will now be subject to a public examination by an independent Planning Inspector. Copies of all the representations made during the pre-submission consultation have been sent to the Planning Inspectorate
The City Centre and University Area Action Plan may be viewed below or during normal office hours at Ballard House, Windsor House, local libraries and housing offices. Our evidence base documents can be viewed during normal office hours at Ballard House.
Regulation 30 statement
You may like to look at the Regulation 30 statement below which shows what consultation has taken place so far.
Evidence base
In preparing Plymouth's Local Development Framework there are a number of studies that have been undertaken that provide the evidence base.
City Centre and University: Issues and options
Summary report of responses to issues and options consultation
Plymouth College of Art and Design Framework
The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
GOV.UK: Planning Policy Statement 12, Local Spatial Planning
Plymouth City Centre Future Direction Investment and Development Strategy
City Centre and University: Issues and preferred options consultation document
City Centre and University Area Action Plan: Pre-submission
City Centre and University Area Action Plan: Issues and options
Plymouth City Centre and Derriford Sustainable Energy Studies
City Centre and University: Pre-submission
City Centre Transport Strategy
Plymouth Waterfront Characterisation Study
The following documents also form part of the evidence base but are too large to put onto our website or are only available as paper copies. If you require a CD version or paper copy of any of these documents please contact us.
- City Centre Precinct Urban Design Framework
- Plymouth Planned: The Architecture of the Plan for Plymouth 1943 to 1962 (Jeremy Gould)
- Plymouth University Strategic Development Plan (Nicholas Burwell Architects)
Area Action Plan documents
The pre-submission City Centre and University Area Action Plan was published for a six week consultation between 18 August and 29 September 2009.
Below is a leaflet highlighting some of the main changes that were made to the plan since the issues and preferred options consultation in 2008.
We produced the issues and preferred options consultation document as part of Plymouth's Local Development Framework (LDF). It builds on the earlier issues and options consultation stage (Spring 2005).
As part of the issues and preferred options stage we held a six week consultation period from the 3 November until 15 December 2008. We've produced a summary report of all the comments made during the consultation period which can be downloaded below.
We'd like to provide another opportunity for you to put forward your thoughts about the city centre and university area. We've produced a newsletter which contains the latest update on the city centre:
Evidence base
In preparing Plymouth's Local Development Framework there are a number of studies that have been undertaken that provide the evidence base.
City Centre and University Area Action Plan: Issues and options report
Summary report of responses to issues and options consultation
Plymouth College of Art and Design Framework
Plymouth City Centre Future Direction Investment and Development Strategy
Plymouth Waterfront Characterisation Study
The following documents also form part of the evidence base but are too large to put onto our website. If you require a CD version of any of these documents please contact us.
- City Centre Precinct Urban Design Framework
- Plymouth University Strategic Development Plan (Nicholas Burwell Architects)
There are also a number of documents which contain information about Plymouth, which have contributed to the development of the consultation document. These can be viewed on our evidence base page.
This document has been produced as a part of the first stage in preparing Plymouths new Local Development Framework (LDF).
This document is accompanied by a preliminary Sustainability Appraisal.
Regulation 30 sets out the rules the Council has to follow in its Local Development Framework consultations. Below are details of the City Centre and University Area Action Plan consultation.
Regulation 27 sets out the rules we have to follow in our Local Development Framework consultations. Below are details of the City Centre and University Area Action Plan consultation.