Completion of major Royal Parade upgrade boosts Plymouth’s transport network
Morgan Sindall Construction’s South West business has officially handed over the £4.6 million Royal Parade Improvement Scheme to Plymouth City Council, marking the successful delivery of a major infrastructure project along one of the city’s busiest public transport corridors.
To celebrate the final milestone, Morgan Sindall representatives, members of Plymouth City Council, and Citybus gathered to the Memory Matters Hub in Plymouth on the 02 March to enjoy refreshments and hear speeches from Morgan Sindall’s Project Manager, Tugrul Aymen, and Operations Director, Nick Rowe.
Memory Matters Hub is a social enterprise that offers vital support services for individuals living with dementia, and Morgan Sindall partnered with the organisation throughout the project. The event was held in the Hub’s Moments Café, a welcoming space that the project team volunteered their time to renovate, leaving a lasting legacy for the wider community.
Procured via the SCAPE Construction Framework, the scheme forms part of a wider programme of works transforming Plymouth city centre into a greener, safer and more family‑friendly place. Alongside the Royal Parade improvements, the council has already partnered with Morgan Sindall to revitalise Old Town Street and New George Street, as well as restore the Grade II listed Civic Square park and gardens. Work is also progressing well on the transformation of Armada Way, which will serve as the gateway to the city by linking the train station with The Hoe.
Designed to enhance reliability at this key interchange, the scheme has increased the number of bus stops, easing congestion and preventing the double stacking of buses.
With more than 100 bus services operating every hour and over nine million passenger journeys each year, Royal Parade is a critical part of Plymouth’s transport network. The completed improvements will support smoother operations, improved passenger experience, and encourage a shift away from private car use – something that’s particularly important in a city where nearly a quarter of households don’t have access to a vehicle.
The project has introduced a shallow sawtooth layout, increasing bus stops from 12 to15 and improving manoeuvrability by removing the need for buses to reverse. Fifteen upgraded bus shelters have now been installed, providing improved seating and accessibility, with green roofs scheduled to be cultivated in spring.
Morgan Sindall undertook extensive technical works to address challenging ground conditions beneath Royal Parade, where historic slab deterioration had led to carriageway movement and cracking. As a result, full-depth reconstruction was completed during overnight closures, alongside resurfacing, new road markings, and paving improvements.
In addition, the project team has replaced worn concrete slabs with high-quality modular granite paving throughout the project, significantly enhancing public areas. The tier one contractor has also upgraded the toucan crossing at Armada Way to improve connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians, while a new average speed camera system supports safer and smoother traffic flow.
Throughout works, Morgan Sindall worked closely with Plymouth City Council to minimise disruption, maintain daytime operations, and ensure businesses could remain open and accessible.
Alongside the delivery of vital transport infrastructure, the project placed a strong emphasis on creating meaningful social value for the local community. This included the delivery of numerous work experience placements, providing young people with hands‑on insight into careers across construction and the built environment, alongside site visits for local schools and university students. The team also delivered carbon literacy sessions to primary school pupils, helping to build early understanding of climate change and sustainability, and hosted a dedicated Work Taster Day for local secondary school students, offering practical, interactive experiences designed to inspire future career pathways.
Councillor John Stephens, Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport said:
This is a hugely important project for Plymouth as it’s designed to make going by bus a more attractive option and we hope that people will begin to feel the benefits of this scheme straight away.
Royal Parade certainly looks a lot better already. There are fewer buses stacked one behind the other and there are more and bigger shelters for people waiting to catch the bus. We worked with the bus operators to reallocate some services at different stops to improve reliability.
There have been some challenges on the way – mainly the relentless rain which dogged the resurfacing work – but we got there and a month ahead of schedule.”
Graham Kingdon, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in the South West, said:
We’re just unbelievably proud to hand over the Royal Parade Improvement Scheme to Plymouth City Council. This project has required thorough planning and close collaboration with the Council to deliver improvements that will serve the city for many, many years to come.”
By using our expertise to strengthen the underlying infrastructure and enhance the layout and facilities, we’ve created a more reliable, accessible, and future-proof transport hub for Plymouth. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work in partnership with the Council to deliver such an important project for the city.”
Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said:
The Royal Parade Improvement Scheme has been a transformative scheme, dedicated to improving the infrastructure and facilities for the millions of people, who rely on public transport within Plymouth. Through the SCAPE Construction Framework, we collaborated closely with our partner Morgan Sindall and Plymouth City Council to accelerate delivery, enable early contractor involvement, and ensure certainty around cost and time certainty. The result is a scheme that improves connectivity for the local community and leave a lasting legacy for years to come.”
ENDS