Old Plymouth bus depot could be turned into 'stay and play' shopping and leisure complex
The scheme includes an 88-bed hotel over five levels, with a 'green wall' to support wildlife
Plans have gone in for a ‘stay and play’ shopping and leisure complex on the derelict site of the former Western National bus depot in Plymouth.
The scheme includes an 88-bed hotel over five levels with a ‘green wall’ to support wildlife.
It also proposes shops and food and drink outlets, with a cycle hub linked to the cycle network.
The plans for a mixed development have been drawn up for the site of the former bus depot which has been empty for 20 years.
They include a large ‘home supplies store’, a small convenience store, sandwich shop and bike shop.
The scheme includes a fast-food restaurant with a roof-top terrace, and a coffee shop with a ‘green roof’, both with drive-through lanes.
Plymouth-based consultants Bailey Partnership has submitted a planning application to the city council on behalf of developer Goldmix Ltd for the scheme on the triangular patch of land bordered by Laira Bridge Road, Gdynia Way and Embankment Lane.
A statement with the application says: "The concept is to create an environment whereby people wish to ‘stay and play’ and enjoy the offerings on site.
"Accordingly, the design team have adopted a landscape led approach and this has allowed for a quality pedestrian and cyclist environment to be created which encourages people to dwell."
The plans show the buildings would go around the edges of the site, which would be linked to the local cycle track network. There would be areas of wildflower meadow, woodland and hedgerows, public seating, and a bicycle practice track with a flowering lawn in the centre.
The final details of the proposals have been drawn up after talks with the city council and public consultation.
The statement said the public response to the plans after consultation in December 2020 had been “overwhelmingly positive”, particularly to the landscaping and proposals for a ‘green wall’ on the hotel to support wildlife.
Concerns about the mixed use of the site and the resulting traffic had been addressed in the proposals, and ideas such as a wildflower meadow and flexible play area had been included in the final designs.
The deadline for a decision by the city council is Friday, May 14, but that can be extended by agreement. Public consultation ends on Tuesday, March 16.
A separate scheme for Prince Rock playing fields opposite the bus depot site on the other side of Embankment Lane was the subject of pre-application discussions involving the council and a developer in the spring of 2020. Documents outlined plans for a Travelodge hotel, Greggs bakery, drive-through Costa Coffee and KFC restaurant.