Work is about to start on the first stage of an £80million plan to redevelop Plymouth’s railway station and create a new university building, hotel and multi-storey car park.
A public car park near the city centre station is soon to be turned into a construction compound for the Brunel Plaza redevelopment scheme.
Plymouth City Council has given temporary permission for the change of use for the land which marks the first physical step in the ambitious project which involves a major upgrade for the railway station, improvements to public areas and links to the city centre.
READ MORE: {}
The car park at the end of North Road East near the station can be used as a compound for up to five years but deliveries will be restricted to between 8am and 6pm to avoid disturbance to nearby homes.
But the move signals preparations are well advanced for a start on the overall project. A report on the compound plan said work was due to start soon to prepare for the partial demolition of the single-storey training unit for rail staff on the station site, known as the Rail Incident Safety Centre (RISC) building, which will make way for a new multi-car car park.
In 2019 a public consultation exercise was carried out on proposals to tear down the existing three-level car park on the site, and the redundant RISC building and replace them with eye-catching new structures.
The first phase is planned to be the conversion of the 11-storey Intercity House to education use for the University of Plymouth.
Improvements for the station concourse include doubling the capacity of the existing gate-line with better shops and facilities for passengers.
Most Read
The Brunel Plaza scheme involves:
refurbishment of Plymouth Station concourse;
refurbishment and change of use of Intercity Place for use by the University of Plymouth;
re-location of facilities within the RISC building to a new building the west of the station;
demolition of the RISC building;
construction of a new multi-storey car park on the site of the former RISC building;
new-build accommodation for the University of Plymouth;
Don’t miss
demolition of the existing multi-storey car park;
construction of a new hotel on the site of the demolished multi-storey car park;
improved and re-configured pedestrian, cycle and vehicular access to the station and city centre;
phased public realm enhancements.
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
Permission was granted in September 2019 for the conversion of the tower block which will be known as Intercity Place.
The plans include a top-floor viewing platform and “halo of light” to act as a beacon for the city.
The public space outside the station will be named Brunel Plaza, after the Victorian railway builder Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The city council has put in a bid for more than £4million from the Government Getting Building Fund for the second phase of the improvements at the station and the new Brunel Plaza.
It is one of four schemes that the council is putting forward for a total of £10million of support.