Grade I listed structure at Royal William Yard reaches key construction milestone

Award winning regeneration company, Urban Splash, has progressed its transformation of the Melville building at Royal William Yard – with a ‘Topping Out’ ceremony held to mark the latest construction milestone. The company has also announced a series of new work-spaces which will soon be available for Plymouth businesses.

The Grade I listed structure stands in the centre of Royal William Yard; it is one of the final buildings to be transformed within the revitalised waterfront community thanks to the efforts of Urban Splash and the funding support of Historic England.

It is being redeveloped to include an array of waterfront work-spaces for retail, leisure and office space suiting businesses of all sizes; units range from 300 sq ft through to 40,000 sq ft in the first phase, and spaces up to 60,000 sq ft in phase 2. Occupiers will benefit from a prime location at the heart of the Yard as well as a bustling neighbourhood filled with 70 other businesses – including Everyman Cinema who confirmed a pre-let on 9,000 sq ft of space within the Melville building last year; a total of 55% of the building is under offer.

The ‘topping out’ means that construction has reached a significant phase, with work-spaces on course for phased occupation from early 2020. Urban Splash commercial director Emily Handslip explained: “I am delighted that we have progressed our vision for Melville.

“This is such a special building and we want to embrace all of the original features it has to offer, sensitively restoring the exposed timber beams, cast iron columns and historic limestone and granite facades to create spectacular, well-designed spaces for businesses to base themselves.

“The composition of Melville means there are plenty of brilliant options on the table. We’re a renowned flexible landlord so can accommodate enquiries from all businesses; be they a startup looking for 300 sq ft, to entire floor-plates suitable as a regional HQ for a larger organisation.”

Royal William Yard has undergone significant transformation by Urban Splash, with partial funding support from Historic England, in the past 12 years. Named Property Week’s “Development of the Decade”, it has evolved into a vibrant mixed-use destination, featuring over 90,000 sq. ft of leisure, retail and office space.

John Ette, Partnerships Team Leader at Historic England added: “The Royal William Yard is a remarkable complex of early 19th century naval buildings unrivalled in England, and we’ve been involved in its regeneration for many years. We’re delighted to support this project with a £500,000 grant and to work with Urban Splash, Plymouth City Council and other partners to secure the future of the Melville Building.

Concluded Emily:

“The Yard is a destination that pushes the boundaries of creativity, innovation and discovery, resulting in a unique community in which people want to live, work and play. We look forward to welcoming even more businesses to that mix as we complete Melville.”

Urban Splash is delivering the transformation of Melville – alongside design partners and architects, Gillespie Yunnie; the construction is being undertaken by Atelier Build, with MD Guy Jackson the former construction director of Urban Splash who has been involved in the regeneration of the Yard since the beginning.

Anyone wishing to find out about the space remaining within Melville, and the final opportunities at Royal William Yard, should visit: https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/regeneration/projects/melville