Plymouth, an historic waterside city with a proud maritime heritage, is undergoing something of a renaissance as it recognises and capitalises on its immense natural assets.
For years it depended on the Royal Naval Dockyard as its main source of employment, a link for which it paid a high price during the Second World War when much of the city was blitzed to oblivion.
It was rebuilt after the war according to the Abercrombie Plan, which plotted a grid of new streets for the city centre, including wide boulevards leading up to Plymouth Hoe and the natural amphitheatre of Plymouth Sound.
But the decline of the defence sector brought hard times in the 90s, and with it economic problems. While the population has boomed in Exeter since 1991 it has fallen slightly in Plymouth (to 248,000 from 251,200).
The Plymouth Plan
Conscious of the need to take radical action, in 2003 the local civic and business leaders invited renowned international architect David Mackay to draw up a vision for the city which focussed on urban and economic regeneration.
Mackay concluded that the city centre was too cut off from both the seafront and the residential areas and proposed a plan that would create a more dynamic and integrated series of relationships.
In practice that means a revitalised city centre with mixed-use schemes (residential, cultural, leisure); high-rise development; landmark buildings; and improved links to the city's greatest asset: the redeveloped waterfront.
On the economic front it means a more diversified economy focussed on retail, leisure and tourism, education, business and high-tech industry.
Thus Far
There's no denying the scale of the ambition here, hence the 2020 deadline for completion. But work is already underway, and large cranes dot the skyline.
Among the major projects is the massive redevelopment of Millbay by English Partnerships which will transform a huge chunk of the city’s waterfront into a vibrant new community with 261 townhouses and flats for sale, shared ownership and rent.
There's also the redevelopment of a former chalk quarry in the suburb of Plymstock which will create at least 1,600 new homes along with the infrastructure they will require.
More controversial is the high-rise development, the tallest of which is Devington Homes’ 'Oceanique', a city centre mixed-use redevelopment which will feature the south west’s tallest tower.
It will include 172 residential apartments, retail, restaurants, offices and a hotel within three buildings: the North Block, the South Block and the Tower.
Devington have a track record here, having already completed the upmarket Azure scheme on Plymouth Hoe, though they have been given a run for their money by Urban Splash's sumptuous conversion of Royal William Yard in the waterfront (the penthouse costs £1.5 million).
Back in the city centre the opening of a slick new shopping mall – Drake Circus – has been a big improvement while the opening of the Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry has also brought new life and employment into the community.
The city administration hopes, with good reason, that all of this will breathe new life into the place, and they plan to raise the population from 241,000 to 300,000 by 2026.
PROPERTY IN PLYMOUTH
The regeneration of Plymouth has seen huge investment in the city centre and the waterfront with several prestigious new developments in recent years – among them the Azure and Royal William Yard schemes mentioned above.
With a growing student population and an increasing number of young professionals moving into the city, Plymouth has become a hotspot for investors who have been buying up some of the many apartments being created on a buy-to-let basis.
Areas of Plymouth
Three original towns were united in 1914 to become Plymouth; Plymouth Dock - which became Devonport - Stonehouse and Plymouth, and city status was granted in 1928.
Parts of these oldest areas in the city retain some fine architecture and hold conservation area status, although like the rest of Plymouth, they also lost many fine old buildings during the blitz.
Stonehouse is an area which has undergone a great deal of regeneration in recent years and with its prime waterfront position has grown in favour with property investors.
Another suburb is the village-like Tamerton Foliot which sits at the head of a two-mile long creek which opens into the river Tamar. There are still properties in this area which have a very rural feel, even though they are now part of the city.
Mannamead and Hartley: The prime residential area is still to be found at Mannamead and Hartley where wide, leafy streets contain some of the city’s finest houses within easy reach of the city centre, leading schools, waterfront and transport networks.
Properties are mostly detached and semi-detached three- to four-bedroom homes dating from the 1920s and 30s with some Victorian villas and Georgian properties as well.
Peverell: This is a particularly popular area for families with rows of beautifully proportioned terraced homes dating from the Edwardian and Victorian eras, close to central park, within walking distance of Mutley Plain and with good transport links to the city centre.
St Judes, Mutley, Mount Gould: Houses around St Judes, Mutley and Mount Gould are also mainly terraced and favoured by families but with their close proximity to the city centre and the university many have been converted into flats and bed-sits to serve the student population.
TRANSPORT
• Trains: A mainline station provides a regular service into London Paddington with the journey taking between three and four hours.
Local commuter trains also provide a link to villages in the Tamar Valley and on the Bere Peninsula.
• Buses: The national network runs regular services to London Victoria, Heathrow and Gatwick.
Local buses also provide links to the many outlying towns and villages from which people commute into the city for work and education.
• Flights: Plymouth Airport is operated by Air South West with regular services to London Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Jersey with a link to Newquay providing onward flights to Dublin and Cork.
• Ferries: A passenger and freight ferry link to France and Spain is provided by Brittany Ferries.
The Torpoint Ferry provides a link for motorists and pedestrians to the Rame Peninsula.
The Cremyll passenger ferry provides a regular link to Mount Edgcumbe bringing in commuters from villages such as Cawsand and Kingsand.
A water taxi links the Mountbatten peninsula with the Barbican.
• Road: Plymouth sits at the end of the A38 Expressway, a dual carriageway that links to the motorway network via the M5 at Exeter, and the Tamar Bridge carries traffic into Cornwall.
SHOPPING
• Plymouth City Centre: The newly opened Drakes Circus shopping mall, and the pedestrianised city centre have an excellent mix of national chains and independent traders.
House of Fraser and Debenhams both undertook large refurbishment projects when the new mall opened, bringing in top name franchises.
• Independent Quarter: At the opposite end of the city centre, traders have banded together and called themselves the Independent Quarter, producing their own magazine to promote the diversity of the individual services they offer.
There is also a large pannier market in this area with 100 stalls, and a farmers' market.
• The Barbican: An eclectic mix of small shops, boutiques, antiques shops and other traders occupy some of the oldest buildings in the city.
• Mutley Plain: Close to the heart of the main student area of the city with bars and restaurants and a few remaining shops and traders. The nearby Hyde Park Shopping Centre has an excellent selection of small independent shops.
• Retail Parks: There are several out-of-town retail parks around the city with stores representing most of the main national retail chains.
EATING AND DRINKING
The city now boasts an excellent selection of restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs with something to suit every taste and budget.
Housed in one of the oldest buildings in Plymouth, Tanners was recently named the AA’s restaurant of the year for England with proprietors Chris and James Tanner frequently featuring on TV.
The historic Plymouth Gin Distillery is home to their other venture, The Barbican Kitchen, and there are numerous other excellent eateries in and around the Barbican and the city centre.
Cuisine from most traditions and nations is represented, with a substantial Greek Cypriot and Chinese community
LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT
Theatre Royal: Stages a varied selection of quality professional plays and shows but has frequently been used as the launch-pad for new productions before they begin a national tour or head for the West End.
Drum Theatre: Smaller and more intimate, it stages less mainstream productions.
The Plymouth Pavilions: Brings the biggest names in show business to perform and is used as a conference venue.
There is also an indoor swimming pool with flume and an ice skating rink – although part of the redevelopment proposals for the city centre would necessitate demolishing both facilities.
Cinema: The leisure park is home to the Vue cinema as well as more restaurants, a bowling alley and a gym. There is a Reel Cinema in the city centre as well as the Arts Centre which shows independent and less mainstream films.
The Barbican Theatre: An alternative venue for the arts with an extensive arts education and outreach programme.
There are several thriving amateur dramatic groups in Plymouth, many of whom use The Atheneum Theatre or the Devonport Playhouse.
SPORTS
Football: The city has a team in the Championship Football League, Plymouth Argyle with a stadium at Home Park on the edge of the city’s largest open green space, Central Park.
Pools: Also in Central Park is a swimming pool with a nationally recognised diving pool and a sports centre but the area is earmarked for regeneration. Ther are plans for a new £26 million sports and leisure centre named after Olympic Medal-winning swimmer Sharron Davies who was born in the city.
There is a swimming pool at Plympton and private pools at local gyms including at Cannons and the Devonshire, part of the Esporta group which also offers tennis facilities.
There are various tennis courts and sports pitches dotted around the city as well as numerous golf courses, and many clubs, centres and organisations promote croquet, bowls, hockey, cricket, netball and other sports.
Rugby & Basketball: Plymouth has a rugby team who play in National Division One, Plymouth Albion, and a Basketball Team, the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, who won the BBL trophy last year.
Sailing: Being a waterside city Plymouth also has a fine reputation as an excellent sailing centre and there are marinas and mooring facilities all around the waterfront.
Most noted sailing clubs include the Mayflower Sailing Club, the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, and The Royal Western Yacht Club.
There is also a Plymouth rowing club and various other water sports organisations. One of the leading centres for these is at Mountbatten and there are also many thriving diving clubs.
Diving: As part of an initiative from the National Marine Aquarium and the Regional Development Agency, the former warship HMS Scylla was purchased and sunk off the coast to create a reef which is used for diving.
Skiing: For those keen to learn how to ski and snowboard there is a dry ski slope on the edge of the city.
GREEN AREAS
Central Park: The largest public open space in Plymouth – includes bowling green, nature areas, pitch & putt, playgrounds, sports pitches, walks and a skate park.
Other parks: There are 28 other parks across the city.
Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park: In south-east Cornwall, on the River Tamar, and jointly owned by Plymouth City Council and Cornwall County Council.
This is the former home of the Earls of Mount Edgcumbe. Set in Grade I Cornish Gardens within 865 acres of Country Park on the Rame Peninsula, South East Cornwall.
Dartmoor National Park: Lies to the north and east of Plymouth, with its granite-topped tors and beautiful scenery, quaint village communities and wild open spaces.
The villages have become increasingly popular with second home owners, thus driving prices upwards.
Produced in association with Northcliffe newspapers.
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