Exciting new proposals for Armada Way will be published as part of a public consultation on Tuesday 17 October.
Residents and businesses will be asked their views on the proposed plans to regenerate the major city centre location, following the decision to overturn the original plans in May.
Plymouth City Council has engaged an independent company – ECF – to lead the management, delivery and evaluation of the public consultation that will gather insight to help shape the final design.
Working with external experts to deliver the consultation provides reassurance that the process will be fair, transparent and in line with industry guidance and best practice.
The consultation, which will last six weeks, will be hosted on an external website: https://letstalkarmadaway.commonplace.is
People are invited to sign-up on the site now, to receive updates and a notification when the consultation is live.
To ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to have their say, ECF will also be:
- Surveying people (including staff in local businesses) on Armada Way and other nearby locations throughout the consultation
- Holding workshops with families, older people and those with disabilities
- Holding 1-2-1 conversations with key stakeholders
- Creating a display of the proposals in various places along Armada Way, including on the hoardings around the northern compound.
- Placing hard copies of the survey in Central Library – people can request a survey from staff and return it via a secure box
ECF will also be launching a huge publicity plan so people are aware that the consultation is taking place.
Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “I know that people have been waiting to see these proposals for a while. We wanted to take our time and make sure that the proposals take into account the feedback we have already had and are a significant improvement on the previous plans.
“There is no getting away from the fact that Armada Way is run down. We need a city centre that will draw people to Plymouth, encourage businesses and developers to invest, a centre that is economically stable, has high environmental credentials and is, of course, safe.
“Rome was not built in a day. We have one chance to get this right. Whatever design we have – Plymouth will have to live with it for decades to come.
“There has been a lot of hurt over the past few months. We cannot turn back time. The trees are gone. We now need to rebuild and work together.
“We have worked hard with our external engagement partner (ECF) to make sure that we have a consultation process that is beyond reproach and enables as many people as possible to have their say, particularly those seldom-heard voices.”
For more information on Armada Way, go to www.plymouth.gov.uk/armada-way