Holes to be dug across Plymouth city centre as revamp costs skyrocket

Plymouth City Council has unveiled new plans to revitalise Armada Way

Dozens of holes are to be dug in Plymouth city centre in a bid to keep the cost of the Armada Way revamp in check after it skyrocketed to nearly £37m. Council leader Tudor Evans said he is aware of concerns about the potential cost of the redevelopment but stressed it can’t be done “on the cheap” although it is hoped the underground investigations will enable project costs to be reduced.

This month it was revealed the council will ask for an extra £22.8m of spending to be approved by the cabinet for the newly revised scheme. When plans for the new layout were revealed in October 2023 the council said the proposed scheme would fall within the original budget of £12.7m – but that was before it was hit by huge increases in construction costs nationally.

Engineers will now sink 28 bore holes to have a look at what is lurking underground. Main contractor Morgan Sindall will carry out the testing which is expected to take about two weeks to complete and see test pits, roughly the size of a large table, dug with Heras fencing to protect the public. The pits will not be near trees on Armada Way.

The work will help the council finalise costs and programming for the proposed project to regenerate Armada Way. The exploration works follow Monday’s special Growth and Infrastructure overview and scrutiny committee meeting, which looked at proposed key changes to the scheme, following an “engagement exercise” last Autumn.

The committee reviewed the scheme and made a number of recommendations for cabinet consideration later next month. The planned investigative works will give the council more detailed information about the ground conditions, and whether there are any underground cables and other utilities that are expected to be below the surface.

They will also help to get a better sense of how deep the concrete slab, used to cover post-war rubble, is. In some places it is thought to be only 30cm deep, in others more than a metre.

There is also the possibility of land contamination, including hydrocarbons and heavy metals from an old iron foundry that existed off Russell Street from the 18th Century and was reported to have provided iron for Plymouth and Dartmoor railways as well as the construction of Plymouth breakwater and lighthouse. When it is better understood what lies beneath Armada Way, final construction costs can be determined – the council said it is hoped that the costs will be reduced as a result.

Cllr Evans said “Investigations of this sort are entirely normal for projects of this scale and this is another step in the right direction to help us finalise designs and costs. We know people will be concerned about recent headlines about the costs, but knowing what’s underground before we start should significantly reduce the risks identified in the project and help bring the estimated budget down.

“But we have to be realistic that creating a city centre that we all can be proud of cannot be done on the cheap. We are trying to create something really special that will be a focal point for our city.”

Contractors on the other key public realm projects in the city centre, particularly in Old Town Street and New George Street, encountered huge challenges caused by post-war rubble encased in a massive concrete slab that covered voids, old cellars and closed off Victorian drains. There were also problems with more modern utilities including communications and electricity cabling – none of which was mapped correctly.

Cllr Evans added: “Traders and shoppers have been extremely patient while we sought to rectify these issues and I am pleased to see there is real visible progress – at last – on these two streets. We are not expecting to dig as deep on Armada Way when it finally starts, but we want to do all we can to get an accurate picture of the conditions.”