Armada Way 'can't be done on the cheap'

COUNCIL LEADER'S PLEDGE AS REDESIGN IS APPROVED

- WILLIAM TELFORD

THE redesigned plan to revamp Armada Way has been approved but the final cost is not yet known. Plymouth City Council’s cabinet has confirmed the new design and approved moves to keep the cost within £37m but stressed it can’t be done “on the cheap”.

The council said the scheme has been given the nod after “one of the largest listening exercises” ever carried out by the authority, and a cross-party scrutiny review. The design now includes 10 changes made as a result of a public consultation and more changes suggested by a cross-party scrutiny committee who reviewed the scheme last month.

And now the design has been confirmed, it means further work can be carried out on establishing the final cost of delivering the scheme. Last month is was revealed that the cost of the project, initially expected to cost £12.7m, has skyrocketed to a “maximum” £36.8m.

The council now says that once the final construction cost is known a further report will be considered by the cabinet. It said exploratory trial pits are currently being dug on Armada Way to get a more accurate picture of what is beneath the surface and when these are finished it will help provide clarity on the scope of the works needed.

Cllr Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “After the consultation and after we updated the design, we were able to start looking in detail at the scheme costs. The figure that has been talked about so far is the outer limits of what we may have to pay.