Plymouth city centre regeneration reaches key milestone
14 weeks of work is beginning today to lay a new pipe, which will be aimed at stopping unclean water ending up in Plymouth Sound
A new pipe is being laid today in Plymouth city centre which aims to stop unclean water ending up in the sound - as part of a multi-million pound regeneration project.
The latest key phase of the Armada Way project will see the Place de Brest 'closed to the limited delivery traffic to enable deep level drainage work to get underway'.
City Centre Champion Mark Lowry said: “It all sounds a bit techie but one of the key aspects of the scheme is helping to reduce the amount of unclean water that ends up in the Sound.
“Upgrading drainage systems will futureproof this area so that when the time comes to build new homes in the city centre, the infrastructure will be better placed to cope with more demand. Anything we can do now to alleviate the pressure will pay off in the future.
"New pipework will be laid which will straddle the width of Armada Way connecting both sides of Cornwall Street – around 50 metres – and measure 1.5 metres across.
"The new drainage is for surface water, helping to take pressure off the combined sewage system. The work is expected to take around 14 weeks and will see trenches four metres deep dug.
"The new drainage is for surface water, helping to take pressure off the combined sewage system. The work is expected to take around 14 weeks and will see trenches four metres deep dug.
"The old drainage system is showing its age. It is a post war combined sewer system – surface and foul water – that was not designed to deal with the capacity it currently has to cope with, given the demands of modern plumbing in residential and commercial properties.
"The scheme will have a sustainable drainage system. Through a series of interventions such as rain gardens, the rill, reed beds and landscaped channels, rain and surface water is diverted away from the current drainage system. It also helps to irrigate the trees and plants.
"Other work at Place de Brest includes laying foundations and installing the appropriate cabling and infrastructure for solar panel canopies that form part of the scheme."