East End Community Village

The community centre is a lively and well used local resource providing activities such as IT skills classes.

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In 1998 almost 1,000 people - 20% of the population - of the disadvantaged East End of Plymouth responded to a survey seeking an understanding of their hopes, dreams and aspirations. When, in 2000, the area became the focus for a neighbourhood renewal area, Plymouth City Council and the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) appointed consultants to help with its regeneration.

The major development for the area was the creation of a ‘community village', incorporating a new centre providing health care, sheltered housing, a café and affordable homes. The original masterplan had failed to combine these uses in a meaningful scheme.
LDA Design was brought in by SWRDA to review the masterplan and find ways to deliver community aspirations.

Few masterplans are seen through to delivery as initially envisaged. It takes strong characters with big personalities and long-term focus to make things happen. In this instance, we were lucky enough to have these conditions in place to take the East End project forward.

Working closely with SWRDA, Pete Graham, the main community representative, and Phil Mitchell from Plymouth City Council, we showed how a strong sense of place and sense of community could be created within the constraints of available funds and anticipated uses. We mixed uses vertically and horizontally to achieve a viable scheme.
A business centre, café and retail units were included at peppercorn rents to stimulate the local economy. The fact that the scheme has been delivered and is fully occupied highlights the success of our approach.

The scheme demonstrates the value of high-level and focused input from LDA Design. By providing critical design advice and encouraging collaborative working we helped turn a complex project around in a short period of time; secure public sector investment and enable delivery within funding timescales.

Today the project continues to evolve and has won a number of regeneration awards. A community partnership is proposed and the community still hopes to get a sports hall, once it is viable. The residents play an active role in management and continue to build on the achievements to date.