Conference centre plan is shelved

PLANS to create a large conference centre in Plymouth’s revamped Civic Centre look likely to be dropped, it has emerged.

Plymouth City Council has confirmed that proposals for the commercial space in the building are being “reviewed” and will be “market driven”.

It comes as Urban Splash, the Manchester-based developer that owns the city centre tower, revealed it wanted to turn the lower floors into shops and flexible office space, including a creative hub for entrepreneurs to work and trade. But just last year it had said it wanted to create an international conference centre, for up to 800 delegates, in the basement.

The company, which has just been awarded more than £10 million of taxpayers’ money to begin redevelopment of the building, still wants to convert the upper stories into 144 private residential apartments.

Meanwhile, Plymouth City Council has revealed plans to use the remaining £1.5 million from the Government’s Future High Streets fund to go towards a revamp of the Guildhall, opposite the Civic Centre, as a venue for entertainment, training, weddings, hot-desking – and conferences.

The council said the Civic Centre plan had been affected by changes to people’s behaviour during the pandemic period. It said what goes into the lower area of the Civic Centre would depend on what people want in there.

Urban Splash will strip back the building to its concrete frame as part of a six-month initial phase of work to turn the Grade II* listed structure into a block of flats.