Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) introduced the item the highlighted the following points:

a)     It had been 10 years since the Council had left the Civic Centre and relocated to Ballard House, during which time work had been underway with Urban Splash to find a way to bring the listed building back into use;

b)    Urban Splash had secured the planning consent for the conversion and reuse of the Civic Centre for apartments, which aligned to the Council’s vision to build 5000 new homes in the city centre;

c)     The Civic Centre opened in 1962 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II;

d)    In 2021, the estimated cost of the development of the 114 new homes in the Civic Centre was £35 million, but due to inflation the current budget estimate was over £50 million, which meant a further £10 million of High Street Finding for the regeneration would be used for this project;

e)     The Council had secured a further £8.5 million Levelling Up Grant for the regeneration of the Civic Centre which meant the regeneration was now largely a public sector funded project, meaning it was appropriate for the Council to recover the building from the current owners and take on the works;

f)      The Council would now oversee the project and had appointed a consultancy team;

g)     Concrete stabilisation works would commence shortly and needed to be complete by March 2025;

h)    The funding for the external renovation works would, in part, be met by funding secured and income generated from the new leave and the car park;

i)      A report would be brought to Cabinet in Autumn 2024, clarifying the programme and options of the projects going forward, including the conversion and fit out of the internals of the tower.

Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) added:

j)      Through shared vision the Civic Centre would not only be a city centre regeneration project, but a transformational skills project;

k)     Nearly 60% of all employment in Plymouth was in STEM sectors;

l)      Investment in the Freeport and Naval Base would continue to see the growth in highly skills and highly paid roles;

m)   There was an estimate of 8000 new jobs by 2023, 70% of which would require higher level educational qualifications;

n)    The Civic Centre investment would enable City College to have a new city centre campus, focused on blue and green skills;

o)    The Civic Centre investment would also allow City College to deliver 60 new courses to 2000 New Learners per annum, as well as 2500 apprenticeship starts;

p)    At its heart, the Civic Centre project was about inclusive growth; ensuring all residents in St Peter and the Waterfront, Stonehouse, Devonport. Keyham, Ernesettle, Whitleigh, Honicknowle and Ham had the opportunity to get the high value jobs created by Babcock, Oceansgate, and the Freeport;

q)    The investment in the Civic Centre would ensure the workforce is fit for the new jobs of the 21^st century, that citizens would have the opportunity to get a job, and it would be a national Centre of Excellence for blue and green skills.

Jackie Grubb (Principal of City College) added:

r)     In terms of deprivation, attainment, and having a civic responsibility to change people’s lives, the blue and green skills hub would achieve this;

s)     There would be a positive economic impact on Plymouth by developing and nourishing low level, and higher technical skills in young people;

t)     City College Plymouth was the Anchor Institution for skills;

u)    The introduction of the blue and green skills Hub would make a different to employers and bridge the skills gap.

Richard Stevens (Chair of City College Board) added:

v)     The vision for the city centre location was born out of an assessment of what City College Plymouth and the city needed;

w)   The Hub would be at the centre of the transport network;

x)    One of the biggest assets in Plymouth was the underutilised work force, and the Hub would equip this work force with opportunities.

Matt Ward (Head of Strategic Development Projects) added:

y)     The Civic Centre Project was part of a much wider regeneration project for the city centre;

z)     The regeneration would have a direct impact on local communities.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) also added:

aa)  Achieving Net Zero would be impossible without green skills and jobs;

bb)There were jobs in the pipeline that would require green skills such as installing heat pumps, transitioning from gas boilers, work being done on EV charging and working on floating offshore wind.

Councillor Laing (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Culture, Events and Communications) added:

cc)  The Civic Centre was iconic and associated with Plymouth’s past.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities) added:

dd)Plymouth Energy Community (PEC) had been constrained by local supply chain as there were not relevant skills in the city to deliver solar and retrofitting, and the skills Hub would provide these skills from within the city;

ee)  Skills development for local residents would help tackle poverty in Stonehouse.

David Parkes (Principle Surveyor) added:

ff)    The Civic Centre would be wrapped in thermal blanketing to ensure energy efficiency;

gg)  The use of private cars would be discouraged and the bus network and the Adopt a Car Club Scheme would be promoted.

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) added:

hh)The new Economic Plan was talked about at the Plymouth Area Business Council and highlighted how the training and skills element was underpinning green jobs and green skills pillar;

ii)     The Civic Centre was a statement to the citizens of Plymouth after the devastation of World War II;

jj)     The Civic Centre Project would aid young people train for apprenticeships, and would drive economic activity in the city centre.

David Draffan (Service Director for Economic Development) added:

kk)  Nationally, not much of the Levelling Up Fund had been spent due to councils not having retained capacity and capability to undertake levelling up projects and not many councils were in a position to take risks and co-invest;

ll)     The Civic Centre Project was a £55 million project that required care and due diligence;

mm)                The Civic Centre Project would be undertaken in three phases.

Cabinet agreed to the following recommendations:

1. To approve the Council entering into an agreement for leave with City College Plymouth in relation to parts of the Civic Centre;

2. To approve the allocation of £8.5 million of the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) received (L44 23/24) to support future capital works that would enable the occupation of the lower floors of the Civic Centre by City College Plymouth;

3. To note that a further report would be submitted by Autumn 2024 outlining agreed terms for a lease to City College Plymouth and a capital budget, programme and funding options for stage 2 of the works including cladding the building;

4. To approve the strategy as set out in the briefing at Appendices 1 and 2 for the Council to take back ownership and control of the Civic Centre to able the first stage of restoration works to progress within the Future High Streets Hund (FHSF) grant window;

5. To approve the freehold purchase of the Civic Centre from Urban Splash for £1.00;

6. To approve the virement of £2.45 million of FHFS grant from the Civic Centre project to the Guildhall project, therefore releasing corporate borrowing of £2.45 million to be earmarked for a future programme of works at the Civic Centre;

7. To note the financial appraisal at Appendix 2i and the requirement for the Council to provide a financial underwrite until additional gap funding and/or investment has been secured;

8. To grant authority to the Service Director for Economic Development in conjunction with the Section 151 Officer to approve the terms of the property agreements and associated hand over arrangements, as well as any contracts for works, consultant appointments, warranties and any other legal agreements required to progress the skills hub and other works associated with the refurbishment of the Civic Centre, and to seek the most economic funding arrangement from agencies and other relevantpartners to support project delivery which would reduce the Council’s exposure to financial risk.?