Plans revised for major redevelopment at Plymouth's Sutton Harbour
The 20-floor harbourside tower, known as Sugar Quay, was given planning permission in December 2018
New plans have gone in for a major redevelopment at Sutton Harbour in Plymouth to create hundreds of homes in a landmark skyscraper and two apartment blocks.
The 20-floor harbourside tower with 170 flats known as Sugar Quay was given planning permission in December 2018.
But the plans have been revised to remove a basement car park and a new application has been submitted to the city council, alongside details of two 15-floor tower blocks on land east of Sutton Road.
The buildings would hold a total of 219 apartments, and the plans for the new neighbourhood include a public square and landscaped walkway to the harbour from St John’s Bridge.
The applications on behalf of Sutton Harbour Group are described as bringing forward a redevelopment opportunity first identified 30 years ago. The overall investment has been estimated at more than ÂŁ100million.
The revised scheme for the tower block at Sugar Quay still has commercial use by shops and restaurants on the ground floor, with offices and a gym on an upper mezzanine level, and 170 homes on 19 upper floors with two sloping sections.
There would be a new public plaza next to the harbour as part of the development of the empty site which has been hidden behind hoardings since work stopped on a new BBC studios complex and residential development in 2006.
Parking for the Sugar Quay apartments would be provided by extending the Harbour Car Park and at the neighbouring residential scheme.
The two linked apartment blocks are on former railway land between the harbour and St John’s Bridge, now used as a retail and industrial estate, with half the space occupied by Thrifty Car Hire.
Planning documents say the two new apartment blocks would be built in phases, with the St John’s Bridge scheme furthest from the harbour, which includes car parking, coming first. Plans show it would hold 108 flats in a mixed-use development of up to 15 floors including workspaces, commercial units or bars, with parking on three floors.
A similar mixed use application has been submitted for a second block also up to 15 floors, known as the Sutton Road East building, with 111 apartments.
Both applications cover public open space, landscaping and infrastructure work, including work to Sutton Road.
Plans show a public square between the two blocks and a public walkway along the front of the buildings, linking St John’s Bridge to the harbour.
A design and access statement from architects AWW said the overall Sutton Road East scheme would provide a “significant regeneration of the area” which had first been identified as an opportunity by the city council 30 years ago.
The statement said Sutton Harbour Group was “excited to be in a position to deliver on that promise.”
It added: “Together, these proposals form an integrated regeneration that will transform the area and deliver on this unfulfilled aspiration.”
The statement described the two blocks and associated work as “an attractive new residential led, mixed use neighbourhood incorporating an affordable housing development, retail units, car parking and a wide landscaped public walkway to help better link surrounding communities to the waterfront and city centre.”
It said: “It will act as a catalyst to transform the industrial land to the east of Sutton Harbour and Sutton Road into an integrated residential community. These proposals are a direct response to the Plymouth City Council Waterfront Strategic Masterplan from 2017 where this land plays a key role in defining a new approach into the city and creating an improved gateway from the east.
“By including a mix of uses and ground floor start up units and workshops, the journey from the east to the harbour and beyond will be full of activity, greenery and vibrancy.”
A decision will be made by the city council on the applications after the end of public consultation, which runs until Tuesday, February 16.