Western Morning News (Saturday)
New look on way for city’s route to the sea
The pedestrianised route that leads from Plymouth city centre to the sea is in need of a facelift. William Telford reports on plans for this important thoroughfare
PLYMOUTH’S Armada Way is to be turned into a kilometre-long, tree-lined ‘urban park’ with ‘dancing fountains’ under new plans to improve the link from the city centre to the sea.
Plymouth City Council has appointed construction firm Morgan Sindall to carry out £447,700 of design work before the main construction begins in 2023.
The idea is to make Armada Way ‘a more impressive route’ from North Cross roundabout through the city centre and ‘a clear visual link to the sea’, which was the original ambition of the route when it was built, making it more attractive to shoppers and removing ‘hidden areas’ that attract street drinkers.
It is part of an ongoing programme designed to address years of underinvestment in city centre streets and spaces.
Under the plan, the dated and piecemeal landscaping will be removed and in its place will be a new urban park, more than 1km long, lined on either side by an avenue of trees. As well as restoring the view to create a more impressive and grand welcome into the city centre, new features will appear including:
play and mixed use games areas for people of all ages a water-based play space dancing fountain jets bicycle parking – a mobility hub will be going in at Mayflower Street and will be integrated into the scheme
an improved and centralised crossing at Mayflower Street to enhance north-south connectivity
dramatically improved cafe seating areas
attractive places to stop and rest for everyone
a refurbished Braille Garden and new stepped amphitheatre space for smaller-scale performance
a new running water feature with sustainable drainage and biodiversity at its heart
linear tree pits replacing broken paving at the Piazza
a refurbished Sundial.
The new look will also take into account the impact of climate change with the introduction of plants and trees that are more resilient to a warming urban environment. Beneath the ground there will be a new sustainable urban drainage system that will form part of a wider strategic network in the city centre.
The system includes ‘rain gardens’ and swales that integrate the drainage system with the new planting to make the best use of surface water. Construction materials have been selected for long-term robustness and durability, and the intention is to reuse some of the existing materials from Armada Way, including the original granite kerbs and setts, to reduce the carbon footprint of hard surfacing.
The work will not start until early next year, although there will be some site clearance in the autumn. Some of the work will cross over with the tail end of the Old Town Street/New George Street improvement schemes.