Capital&Centric, a social impact developer with a strong reputation for making historic buildings come alive and thrive has been selected to develop 144 new homes for rent proposed for Plymouth’s Civic Centre tower.

 

The Grade II listed Civic Centre is set to undergo a major transformation with Plymouth City College to have a Blue Green Skills Hub on the lower floor and 144 high quality apartments within the 14-storey tower. A full planning application was submitted in March, with initial works to remove cladding expected to begin in summer 2026.

 

The announcement was made today (Wednesday) in Leeds at UKREiiF, the UK’s leading forum for real estate, investment and infrastructure, bringing together property professionals, investors, developers and senior decision-makers from across the UK. Representatives from Plymouth are attending the event to showcase the development opportunities in Britain’s Ocean City.

 

Capital&Centric is a property developer, investor and operator, specialising in transforming heritage buildings, brownfield land and underused sites into mixed use neighbourhoods, with a track record of completed and live projects in cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Cambridge, Gateshead, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

 

They have extensive experience in delivering complex regeneration schemes that create thriving communities where there previously were none.

 

As a social impact developer, Capital&Centric don’t disappear after the last brick is laid. The Civic Centre homes will be managed by their rental company Ollo, offering high-quality interiors, on site amenities, including a gym, a calendar of socials and events, and a responsive app for residents.

 

Cllr Mark Lowry, Plymouth City Centre Champion said: “This is an exciting new direction for Plymouth’s housing market – these will be high quality units that are built to rent – something which is not currently available here.

 

“They are specifically targeting people who want a quality experience in an iconic location that is close to places of work, learning, culture and the waterfront.

 

“This company has a history of tackling tricky buildings, helping people to fall back in love with them and breathe life into them. Bringing the buzz back into the city needs people who want city living and all it has to offer.”

 

John Moffat, Joint Managing Director at Capital and Centric said: “Plymouth is a city with serious ambition, and the Civic Centre is the kind of project we love getting stuck into. It’s a building that means something to people; you can’t walk past it without noticing it. Now we’re taking on the challenge of giving it a future that lives up to that.

 

“We’ve spent years restoring buildings and crafting communities across the UK and each one teaches you something. You have to respect what makes a place special while creating homes and spaces that actually work for how people live now and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing here.”

 

Currently investing £3 million a week across eight live construction sites, Capital&Centric is driving regeneration in towns and cities nationwide.

They have a longstanding relationship with Homes England and in late 2025 announced an £860 million joint venture –the Impact and Places Partnership – with Swiss Life Asset Managers and Homes England which is expected to deliver over 2,250 new homes across underinvested regions in England.

 

The Civic Centre project secured £18.4 million from Homes England with funding conditions requiring a housing developer with the right knowledge and experience to deliver the new homes.

A decision has been taken this week to enter into an agreement for lease for the Civic Centre (including land next to the Council House and part of the Council House car park) to Capital&Centric, Heads of Terms are being negotiated and key terms set out to enable C&C to complete a full residential fit out and operate the premises under a 199-year lease.

While the Council will retain the freehold of the Civic Centre, the building will be disposed of via a dual headlease – with Capital&Centric responsible for the residential lease and City College Plymouth responsible of the education lease.