Plymouth businesses are to vote on a plan which would see them pay nearly £2m which will then be spent on improving the city’s waterfront in the next five years.
The Plymouth Waterfront Partnership Business Improvement District (PWP BID) has revealed a new business plan for 2022 to 2027. It envisages £1,883,430 being raised from a levy on businesses and supplemented with another £100,000 from other sources.
Funding from levy payers will then be spent on improving the “experiential retail offer” of the city’s vast waterfront “in line with customer expectations and emerging trends”, as well as attracting new investors and providing other reasons to visit Britain’s Ocean City.
The , which supports a vision to grow visitor numbers to six million a year by 2030, will be put to a ballot, which takes place between October 27 and November 25.
If businesses, in an area widened to include Drake’s Island, vote “yes”, it means a third waterfront BID would be created.
But f businesses vote “no” in the ballot, the BID will cease trading on March 31, 2022, and businesses are warned this will curtail investment from the likes of Destination Plymouth and Conference Plymouth, and events such as those around the Barbican Christmas Lights, Pirates Weekend, and Seafood and Harbour Festival would not take place.
The PWP BID currently represents about 900 businesses located around the edge of the city’s waterfront from Mount Batten to Royal William Yard and Millbay, encompassing the Barbican, Bretonside, Sutton Harbour and Plymouth Hoe.
The new business plan, BID3, sets out a new ambitious vision for the area “creating the waterfront of tomorrow, today” with plans to improve economic prosperity, enhance the environment and increase footfall.
Most Read
There are four key, inter-related themes at the heart of the plan, which align with wider city plans:
Transformational: Supporting the physical aspects of the waterfront, including the creation of the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, working to connect neighbourhoods, and improving the resident and visitor experience.
Vibrant Tourist Destination: Increasing visitor numbers and spend by working in partnership with Destination Plymouth and visitor attractions, hosting events, supporting and growing cultural assets and the hospitality sector, and maximising marketing opportunities.
Environmental Excellence: As well as committing to the environmental sustainability of the waterfront, ensuring it’s an attractive and welcoming place, by, for example, removing graffiti, reporting environmental issues, and maintaining street furniture.
Business Voice: Giving BID levy payers a collective voice, bringing the diverse local business community together and advocating for the area at a local, regional and national level.
Nick Buckland , chair of PWP, said: “We have listened to our businesses, taking their feedback on board and worked closely with partner organisations to develop a plan that supports the eclectic and vibrant Waterfront business community.
“We’ve achieved a huge amount in the last 10 years: attracting more visitors, reducing business costs and creating more attractive places. But there’s even more potential to unlock, which we can do together with the support of businesses.”
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
Cllr Nick Kelly, Conservative leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “There’s a reason we are known as Britain’s Ocean City – the Waterfront is one of Plymouth’s most precious assets and the area has so much potential.
“A huge amount of work has been done by PWP over the last 10 years, but there’s so much more to come. The new business plan has very clear goals and we’ll continue to work closely with PWP to achieve them, supporting businesses, bringing in more investment and making it a better place to live, work and visit.”
The BID3 business plan is available to read in full at