Plymouth Pavilions revamp moves forward

The capacity of the Pavilion's concert venue will be expanded under the plans

An £83m transformation of sport, leisure and culture facilities which could create 1,300 jobs in Plymouth has got the backing of the city council.

The council's cabinet approved Akkeron Leisure as preferred bidder to revamp the Pavilions Arena and create a new ice rink at Home Park.

The city council will contribute £2m to the scheme, which it said was a "very good deal".

Akkeron will now submit planning applications for the development.

Akkeron chairman and Plymouth Argyle owner James Brent said: "I'm totally delighted.

"It gives us the opportunity to work with the council to make a real positive change to Plymouth and the wider region."

He said the combination of the city council-owned Life Centre leisure complex, Argyle's ground and a new ice rink at Home Park would "create a real destination for the South West".

'Great day'

If the plans are approved, the current ice rink on the Pavilions site will be sold to Akkeron and redeveloped for housing and shops.

The concert arena at the Pavilions will be upgraded and its capacity increased.

The council has been looking for a private sector partner to take over the Pavilions site for more than a year.

It said the site's £1.5m operational costs "cannot be sustained in the current financial climate".

According to Plymouth councillor Ian Bowyer, cabinet member responsible for finance, the schemes will create 800 jobs in construction and 580 jobs afterwards.

He said: "This is a great day for the city.

"It represents a significant step forward and a new dimension to the sports, leisure and cultural offer for the city."