The impressive rejuvenation of Plymouth’s Grade II-listed Market Hall – now home to a world-class space for digital innovation and learning, and Europe’s only 15m flat-floored immersive dome – has been selected as a regional finalist for ‘Best Project’ in the Planning Excellence 2022 awards, by the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Opened in July 2021, Market Hall was developed via a strong partnership between Real Ideas, Plymouth City Council and its Strategic Planning & Infrastructure team, which approached Real Ideas because of their proven track-record of bringing challenging historic buildings back into innovative use. This includes the regeneration of Devonport Column in 2013 and the award-winning Devonport Guildhall from 2007-2010.
The Planning Excellence Awards celebrate and recognise how planning has a positive impact by creating exceptional places and protecting the environment.
The shortlist is a result of rigorous judging criteria which include: outcomes for people and the community; planning leadership and vision; partnership working; environmental impact; and community engagement. Judges also visit the site of each applicant before making their final selection.
A Grade II listed building, Market Hall is in the heart of Devonport and was originally built in 1852. The finished project expertly captures its history, utilising ironwork, red brick and industrial materials in keeping with its dockyard roots. The result is an incredibly spacious building with a wow-factor, providing the inspiring backdrop for flexible working space, meeting rooms, and a community café and bar.
The 4,000 strong members of the Real Ideas community now have access to the world-class digital innovation and learning centre that was originally envisaged.
Lindsey Hall, chief executive of Real Ideas, said:
“Our vision for Market Hall was to bring a stunning and significant building back into community use, to contribute to the ongoing regeneration of Devonport and to create an accessible, welcoming and engaging space for everyone who visits. The building has quickly become a hub for innovation, providing untold opportunity as an incubator for jobs, research, development, exploration, learning, collaboration and economic development.
“We have swiftly developed an impressive tech cluster around immersive and creative digital, thanks to our world-class dome. It is the first facility of its kind in Europe – and one of only two in the world – and has the unique benefit of being immediately relevant. It is also incredibly good fun – the tens of thousands of people who have experienced the immersive dome in the past year can testify to that.”
