Devonport Vision, Plymouth

The site formerly known as Devonport Enclave Stores, was previously owned by the Ministry of Defence, and was extensively firebombed during WWII. As part of a large city regeneration scheme, Redrow instructed our team to help provide initial due diligence advice in supporting them with their successful bid to redevelop the site. Our job? Detailed design, construction drawings and associated site support, including the production of on-site highways, off-site highways and foul and surface water drainage designs.

We were initially instructed by Redrow Homes on one of the largest city regeneration schemes in the South West to provide initial due diligence advice in supporting them with their successful bid to English Partnerships (now Homes & Communities Agency) to redevelop the former Devonport Enclave Stores site in Plymouth.

The £70 million regeneration scheme, known as Devonport Vision, provides for 463 dwellings, extra care housing, and commercial units. whilst retaining the listed Market Hall building Hall which has been preserved to will be re-used sensitively as a digital business and education hub.

The site was owned by the MoD having been isolated from the surrounding residential area for a number of decades. This segregation came about after the MoD acquired it as it previously formed a thriving part of the local Devonport community with a theatre, bank, market area and many residential properties.  However, the area was extensively firebombed during WWII at which point the site was obtained as an extension to the neighbouring Devonport Naval Base.

We provided various technical inputs from the outset to help refine and value engineer the concept masterplan that had been produced.  This exercise was undertaken as there were numerous challenges associated with redeveloping this site, including areas of contaminated land which needed to be remediated alongside the need to re-profile the existing steeply terraced engineered landscape without generating an overall export of material.

The award-winning project has delivered a high mixed-use development and brought social integration into what was once a fractured community. Its aim was to breathe life back into the heart of Devonport, and it has.