But KFC drive-thru and padel centre appear to be dropped from proposals
A sketch of the potential development which previously included padel courts and a KFC drive-thru(Image: Loc8)
Developers want to build a Travelodge hotel and a Starbucks coffee shop on disused former playing fields in Plymouth which have been a magnet for travellers.
Bristol-based property company Loc8 has been in talks with Plymouth City Council about plans for the patch of land on Embankment Road, next to the River Plym and the former Laira bus depot.
The land has been used in the past by Travellers as an unauthorised encampment and eviction action had to be taken.
But Loc8 envisages a five-storey, 88-bed Travelodge, a drive-thru Starbucks, EV charging points, more than 100 parking spaces, and a cycle hub.
The company, which was also behind the redevelopment of the former Mega Bowl site in Plympton, had also been considering a drive-thru KFC fast-food restaurant, but have dropped it, and appear to have also binned plans for a five-court indoor centre for the fast-growing racket sport padel.
The former Prince Rock playing fields have been earmarked for redevelopment since 2018, when plans for an 80-bed Travelodge, plus a Greggs, KFC, Costa Coffee and even a pub were submitted.
Travellers in Prince Rock playing field in 2023(Image: Submitted)
But the scheme stalled due to an increase in construction costs, so in 2023, the Labour-led council entered into a funding agreement to enable planning permission to be sought for commercial development of the site, with a hotel as its anchor tenant and other leisure features.
The council owns the 1.5ha (3.6 acre) plot beside the A374 Embankment Road, the main eastern route in and out of the city and has said it will work alongside a developer to find a use for it.
Loc8 made a pre-application submission in September last year and had talks with the city council in November, following which several “masterplan” options for a phased development of the site were submitted, including plans for a KFC restaurant, which have now been removed.
A recent correspondence with the council also said it has now jettisoned “phase 2” which was planned to include the padel centre.
Last month, the council wrote to the developer saying it should consider “some residential development could perhaps be considered here, given the significant need for housing and Plymouth’s current lack of a five-year housing supply position”, instead of the padel club.
The council said: “We would like to see a development here which could appeal to visitors and locals alike. Creating a ‘destination’, fostering a strong sense of local character and delivering a mixed-use offering.”
The council noted, however, how quickly the sport of padel was growing, with about 1,000 courts in the UK now and said: “Plymouth is in the early phases of padel facility development, with only one venue in the north of the city at Marjon University.”
But the authority didn’t like the proposed look of the padel courts although was willing to look at other options and said: “We have always pushed for a high-quality building here, worthy of this gateway location.”
The council also didn’t like the drive-thru, calling it “low-density and car-dominated”, but did think an EV charging station has potential to be a “memorable building”, although raised issues with its positioning, and it supports ideas for a cycle hub and, in general, landscaping proposals. There were also concerns about the proposed development’s impact on traffic.
The document said that Loc8 aimed to “move things along now at pace” and wanted to submit a formal planning application in the next couple of months, but said the council said more pre-app discussions may be appropriate.
A response from Kew Planning, acting for Loc8, last month said: “We will consider the feedback but are unlikely to undertake further pre-application having done circa 10 meetings over the last six years.
“I think officers need to understand that phase 2 is not coming forward now and therefore will not have any detailed design, and will ultimately be down to the council to deliver, as the landowner.”
Sport England has said that it wants a new sports pitch on the site, as a replacement for one that used to be there. It said there is scope for more padel courts in Plymouth and thinks they should be covered over for maximum use.
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