Cut to cost of city centre revamp - council

The cost of construction is now £29.9m after previous estimates of up to £36.8m

Plymouth City Council has said it will save nearly £7m on the cost of revamping part of the city centre.

It said costs of the Armada Way project had been "significantly reduced" after test digging and alterations to designs.

The cost of construction was now £29.9m, it said, after previous estimates by the council for the scheme of up to £36.8m.

The original cost of the regeneration project was £12.7m but changes were made in January 2024 which led to an increase in the budget.

The changes include a few slight alterations to designs said council leader Tudor Eveans

Council leader Tudor Evans said: "We always said that the overall costs published earlier in the year were a ballpark estimate and included the enabling works."

He said the authority "had to plan for worst case scenario", with construction costs going up "exponentially in recent years".

Final costs emerged after test digging "to get a more accurate picture of what is beneath the surface and detailed cost review sessions with our contractors", he said.

There were also a "few slight alterations to the designs" including delaying redevelopment of the piazza and changes to a solar installation to power drainage diverting waste water from going into the Sound.

The direct cost to local taxpayers would be £11.2m after contributions from government grants and developers, funding from the Climate Emergency Investment Fund, as well as council borrowing and receipts from the sale of surplus property.

The council's cabinet will consider the costs of the scheme on 9 September and work could start in October.