Plymouth’s ambitions to provide thousands of homes in the city centre have taken a step closer with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England.
Council leader Tudor Evans and Homes England chief exeuctive Eamonn Boylan signed the partnership document which is the next step in strengthening the working relationship between the two organisations.
A new strategic partnership will accelerate the delivery of high-quality homes in Plymouth, supporting a transformational regeneration of the city centre and surrounding areas. These homes will play a key role in unlocking the economic potential of recent dockyard investments and help create a vibrant city where people can live, work, eat, shop, and socialise.
HM Naval Base Devonport is projected to see around £4.4 billion of government investment over the next decade. This investment is anticipated to stimulate demand for new homes, with Babcock International Group alone requiring an estimated 5,500 new employees, creating a further 2,000 construction jobs in the Dockyard.
The initiative aligns with the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review, which identifies defence as a new engine for national growth. The Continuous At Sea Deterrent programme represents a generational investment in national security—and Plymouth is set to benefit directly.
“Plymouth is at the forefront of a new era of economic opportunity,”
said Tudor Evans.
“By investing in affordable, high-quality housing, we’re not only supporting our defence capabilities but also creating a thriving, inclusive city for future generations.”
Plymouth city centre currently has around 800 homes in it. The top 20 English cities have an average of 8,000 homes, and regeneration over the last 20 years in Newcastle, Manchester, Salford, Sheffield and Leeds has shown that more housing in city centres plays a key part in rejuvenating them.
Council Evans added:
“We have been working with Homes England on our vision for the city centre and this is another important step along the road to making a vision a reality.
“With change of this scale in the pipeline, we need to set out and confirm common goals, get clarity of what we are working towards and be clear about how we are going to bring others along on the journey.”
Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Homes England, said:
“Our new Memorandum of Understanding with Plymouth City Council is an important step in strengthening our commitment to the area.
“We’ll work side-by-side with the council to help achieve their vision for the city centre and support them to deliver 10,000 new homes for the people of Plymouth.”
