As the site is fenced off, a new attempt to win planning permission for former Register Office site

By Alison Stephenson, Local Democracy Service, and Andy Towcester

A new attempt is being made to build homes on the site of the former Plymouth Register Office – this time in a nine storey high tower block.

The redundant building at Lockyer Street was sold by Plymouth City Council in 2024 and the land earmarked in the local plan for a mixed use scheme including a hotel and 52 homes.

The council refused permission for 56 homes plus commercial units and basement parking for the site in May citing design and inadequate living conditions due to lack of sunlight a factor.

The plans also failed to provide any affordable housing and or meet the identified housing need for smaller flats for younger and older people.

Now the applicants have come forward with a new design for 108 flats in a building two storeys higher than the one proposed in May with commercial space on the ground floor. They are also proposing to erect three townhouses on the site adjacent to Windsor Villas. 

It comes after temporary security fencing was put up to encircle the site on Tuesday (August 18). Police stood by as property and belongings from people who have been living on the land were removed.

Pre planning advice on the new application is being sought from the city council. 

Planning documents say that the applicant has “worked proactively” to address the previous refusal reasons and has refined the scheme accordingly.  To “ensure the development remains deliverable”, additional storeys have been introduced for viability purposes. It is also expected to meet the council’s requirement for a more intense development given the lack of a hotel in the plans.

Applicant Ms Billie Kaur "remained committed to working constructively with officers to bring this site forward and to secure a high-quality development that responds positively to its context", said the planning agents.

“While the scheme represents a departure from the mixed-use housing and hotel allocation, the acute and well-documented need for new homes provides a clear and robust justification for this variation. 

The Lockyer Street building, which opened in April 1982, has been disused since 2020. It was sold at auction for £827,000 after 240 separate offers were made – more than £500,000 above its guide price.