Bruton Knowles appointed to manage The Ship, Plymouth

Plymouth commercial property specialists Bruton Knowles has been appointed to manage the resurgent Ship at Derriford.

Following its acquisition by The Ship (Derriford) Ltd, a subsidiary of Burrington Estates, the former Western Morning News HQ just outside the city centre has been redeveloped and re-launched as a major commercial centre creating in excess of 600 new jobs.

Ian Le Grice from Bruton Knowles Lockyer Street office said the landmark Ship - designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw CBE to reflect Plymouth’s maritime heritage – had been in the doldrums for several years since the Western Morning News vacated but was now looking forward to a new lease of life as a high quality mixed use facility.

Ian Le Grice said: “The Ship was of course a major employer in the city and will be again thanks to the vision of Ship (Derriford) Ltd and Burrington Estates.

“Although the building is listed the team appointed by the new owners have worked closely with all the relevant bodies to be able to create something special and its successful regeneration for new businesses and new business models can be seen by the number and quality of occupiers already attracted. This has taken a lot of hard work and Bruton Knowles are thrilled to be able to help continue the progress made on this this building so far and carry on its re-invention.”

The old print hall and warehousing space with its enormous open spaces and high ceilings has attracted a major leisure occupier, Adrenalin Leisure a trampoline centre incorporating a Ninja zone.

Headlining the list of new business tenants will be Sitel the Global Outsourcing provider, who will operate a call centre in the Ship’s extensive office space. One of over 140 in 22 countries that the company operate.

Ian Le Grice said: “Getting Sitel on board was crucial to re-establishing the long term future of this award-winning building.”

He stated the 130,000 sq ft building which is set in over 12 acres of parkland would become a major employer once again, with over 600 jobs being created at the multi-let centre.

Situated on Plymouth’s International Medical and Technology Park the Ship at Derriford is just five minutes’ drive from the A38 Devon Expressway, which provides a direct link to Exeter and Bristol via the M5 and Cornwall to the west.

Ian Le Grice concluded: “It has taken an enormous amount of hard work to re-float the Ship but the wide range of new businesses taking space there has given this magnificent building a new lease of life and provided an important employment hub for Plymouth.  Despite the rapid progress, there is some space still available so any enquiries