26 Oct Valuation Office Agency opens at the newly refurbished Crownhill Court
The Covid-19 Pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption for many and when construction sites began to return to work, the industry-led the way on post Covid recovery locally. One of these sites and projects was at Crownhill Court in Plymouth and we are delighted to be able to share that the project has now officially opened!
Crownhill Court dates back to 1991 and provided the typical office accommodation of that time. Arranged over 3 floors the existing building provides circa 67,000ft2 of space and is located in the northern corridor of Plymouth within easy access to the City Centre and with a frequent bus service literally minutes away.
Crownhill Court has now become home to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in Plymouth which officially opened last month. The VOA employs more than 3,200 staff who are responsible for compiling and maintaining lists of council tax bands for 26 million domestic properties and the rateable value of more than two million commercial properties for business rates.
The newly refurbished building will now accommodate one of VOA’s two customer service centre hubs in the UK following the recent signing of a lease with the Council.
Plymouth City Council (PPC) saw the potential of the building, which had been vacant for nearly 3 years, and purchased it with a view to creating much needed modern, commercial space for locally-based businesses.
By gathering a team of local construction professionals PCC has been able to quickly redesign and reimagine Crownhill Court. The team was made up of; Ward Williams Associates (Project Management, Cost Management, Building Surveying and Principal Designer); Service Design Solutions (SDS) (Mechanical & Electrical Design); Airey & Coles (Structural Design), LHC Design (interior design) & Hoare Lea (Mechanical & Electrical Technical Adviser post-contract).
The building was stripped by local firm TEC Construction and Midas Construction and their Plymouth based design team of SDS, Jenkins & Potter & Design Development went on to begin the extensive refurbishment works to create a quality workspace. This included new mechanical and electrical systems, new floor, wall and ceiling finishes throughout, provision of office space, meeting rooms, break out spaces, Fitness Suite, Refectory, cycle storage, on-site parking including the provision of electric vehicle charging points. The project has now reached practical completion and we can’t wait to see the redeveloped site in use.
Deputy Leader of the Council Councillor Patrick Nicholson said: “I am delighted to see the new VOA office formally open in Plymouth and it’s great to see an organisation triple its workforce here in this city, creating over 300 jobs.”
“The Council’s Economic Development team has secured the VOA Plymouth office as one of only two service centres in the whole UK.”
“This was an empty office building that we as a Council have brought back to life, buying the building completing a comprehensive refurbishment and securing a valuable employer at the property for the benefit of the city.”
Nikki Griffiths, Partner in our Plymouth Office said:
“It has been great to be a local consultancy on a local project in Plymouth! The new VOA office will provide brilliant employment opportunities for the community through the refurbishment of this previously unused space.”
“Delivering this project during the pandemic wasn’t without its challenges but we are proud that it has enabled us to continue to contribute to the local economy through these difficult times for the city.”
