Landmark Plymouth building is now home to students after £2million facelift
A LANDMARK building has been given a £2million facelift for a new generation of students.
Central Point, on the corner of Armada Way and Royal Parade in Plymouth city centre, now provides a home for 244 students.
The old Pearl Assurance House, owned by the student accommodation provider UNITE, has been given an extensive facelift inside and out, but the original 1950s features remain. It still has a distinctive Art Deco facade, marble staircase and walk-in bank vault in the basement.
All 224 bedrooms have been refurbished, with in-room Wi-Fi for all students. Ten new rooms have been created from existing unused space in the building, and there is a new reception and common room.
Comprising Lounge,Kitchen,Dining Room,Utility Room,2nd,3rd & 4th Bedrooms,Master Bedroom With En-Suite,Bathroom,Gardens,Garage & Driveway.CT Band E.EPC Band D.Av.12/07/13 For 6 Mths & Ongoing.
Terms: ***NB: Please be advised that charges are applicable per application and subject to contract. No additional charges are required for the Tenancy Agreement or Inventory unless stated otherwise.***
Contact: 01752 421825
Valid until: Thursday, August 01 2013
The building, with views across to the Hoe and the Sound, is a five-minute walk from the university campus.
The refurbishment project took only eight weeks from start to finish. In an effort to reduce landfill, UNITE gave old but still serviceable furniture to Regenerate Community Enterprise.
This local not-for-profit organisation employs and provides NVQ training for people who would otherwise struggle to find work; reduces local landfill; and sells cheap working domestic appliances and furniture to those in need.
Stephen McDonald, operations manager for Plymouth, UNITE, said: "This was a challenging refurbishment project as the building is not only old, but has an unusual layout.
"We knew from the beginning that we wanted to retain the original features, so that meant working around them. It's important to us to preserve the history of the building."
UNITE's chief executive, Mark Allan, has a historical link to the building – his father used to work there.
Central Point is already sold out for the 2012/13 academic year. The property has 24-hour security and all utilities and insurance are included in the rental costs. All rooms are en-suite and are a combination of studio flats and shared flats.
UNITE has five properties, with a total of 1,110 rooms, in Plymouth.
Comments
by Yachtchick
Thursday, October 18 2012, 4:47PM
“64 special do you realise that because there are students there is a university And that
University is the second largest employer in the area and so the city would be worse off without
Them, secondly graduates on average make more money over a lifetime than an undergraduate
So will pay more taxes etc so actually will contribute more to the area than you! The spending they do also helps the economy without that much money spent i the city there would be a lot more businesses struggling! Obvious you are not a graduate as so narrow minded”
by timplymouth
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 8:09PM
“"TheMercenary" they get a loan of £5500 to pay for rent and food etc. Add tuition fees of £9000 and you've got £14,500 per year. A four year course could put you in over £50k of debt. Then you've got to add in the interest rate of 3% ABOVE inflation. If you get an average pay job you will be paying this back for the rest of your working life. It's a tax on poor people going to university and it's disgusting.”
by Jannerbear
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:56PM
“....its about a good population of the local janners hating outsiders, there is very much a royston vasey attitude prevalent in this city, its an ugly thing to have in 2012, Plymouth is full of casual racism, homophobes, student haters, I have never been to a place in the uk where such xenophobia is an everyday part of daily life, god knows why any students would want to come here anyway, I know id think twice now if I was given the choice over again
So very true many times have I been in the town centre and heard racist, sexist and homophobic comments whilst passing, not to mention offensive comments about students, goths and the homeless, if i could afford to move I would even tho it is better than it once was.”
by niugnepyzarc
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:53PM
“The mercenary through student loans and part time work.”
by TheMercenary
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:01PM
“As a matter of interest, where do students get the money to pay for their accommodation and food/utilities etc? Is it from some benefit? I understand their fees are paid via a loan. Is that right?”
by nothalf
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 2:45PM
“I guess charlie your reputation proceeds you”
by niugnepyzarc
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:53PM
“must have been using a student specialized letting agent then charlie because even a quick search of the big letting agents will show you there's plenty of property for non students in the city.....but then only a fool would use a letting agent anyway....why pay stupid amounts of money for credit checks and paperwork and then have the hassle some of them are notorious for with withholding deposits etc, I am currently and always will be in a private rental, much better deal :P”
by CharlieDodd
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:39PM
“A few years ago I visited a letting agent in Plymouth to look for a place to rent, but he turned me away with "Sorry, nothing available for you, everything revolves around students nowadays"..”
by niugnepyzarc
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:24PM
“ccfarmer sadly its not about the money, figures quoted prove that if it was this argument would be moronic anyway....its about a good population of the local janners hating outsiders, there is very much a royston vasey attitude prevalent in this city, its an ugly thing to have in 2012, Plymouth is full of casual racism, homophobes, student haters, I have never been to a place in the uk where such xenophobia is an everyday part of daily life, god knows why any students would want to come here anyway, I know id think twice now if I was given the choice over again.”
by ccfarmer29
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:07PM
“Can we put some rough figures on this?
There are around 30,000 students in Plymouth.
Per annum, each will spend around £9,000 on tuition, £3,500 on accomodation and around £5,000 on other living expenses (food, transport etc). On average, that's £525 million a year that goes into the local economy.
In terms of 'lost' council tax...
On average students live in houses/flats of 6 people, most of which will be Band A in Plymouth, meaning that there are roughly 5,000 student households in the city. If each household would yeald around £1000 a year in council tax, that's £5 million a year 'lost' by allowing students to not pay council tax for their time at university. Let's not forget that these are the same students who WILL pay council tax for the rest of their lives (60+ years).
That makes a net gain of around £520 million a year for the local economy.”