Fresh images capture panoramic views from the top of Plymouth's listed Civic Centre as its transformation edges closer to a planning submission in the coming weeks.

The initial strip-out (Phase 0) is now complete.

The scheme would create a new city centre base for City College Plymouth, providing space for up to 2,000 learners from school leavers to adult students to develop skills. Plans also include 144 new homes within the tower, aligning with the Council’s wider ambition to deliver thousands of additional homes in the city centre.

Contractor Gwella finished asbestos removal, make-safe works, site security and hoardings before Christmas. Site management has since passed to South West Concrete Repairs, which is undertaking detailed internal concrete surveys.

More than 30 surveys have been commissioned or completed to map what lies in and around the building, including utilities and drainage both within the Civic and its immediate grounds. Ecological, geotechnical, archaeological and arboricultural assessments are also under way.

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In preparation for the planning submission, the structure is being meticulously measured — from wall thicknesses and exterior panel widths to floor depths — to ensure centimetre-level accuracy. As a tall building, the renewed Civic will need to meet tighter requirements introduced after the Grenfell tragedy under the Building Safety Act, including sprinklers, new firefighting lifts and stair access, and more stringent fire ratings.

Councillor Mark Lowry, city centre champion said: "This has been an almighty task just to get to the planning application stage.

"We want to reassure the public that we are moving at pace and that a phenomenal amount of work is taking place behind the hoardings to get to this stage.

"We stepped in to revive this building as we believe it is a hugely important landmark and a catalyst for wider regeneration. All the signals we are now getting show it was the right call.

"It is more than a restoration, it is about introducing city living, which chimes with the work we are about to embark on with the masterplanning for 10,000 new homes."

Mark Bruand, architect director at BDP said: "We see this building as more than just a local landmark, it is a key part of Plymouth’s past, its evolution as a city post WWII, and now once again a focal point of transformation for the future.

"Bringing a building like this back to life is an exciting opportunity to show both the building and the people of Plymouth the love that this building deserves. We’re proud to be part of the team and look forward to showing the potential this project holds for the city."

The funding picture progressed in November when Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, signed a grant funding agreement worth £18.4 million. The Civic Centre project is part of a broader regeneration strategy to unlock thousands of homes, enhance public spaces and support a thriving, resilient city centre economy.