Francis Drake Hall of Residence

Francis Drake Hall of Residence is a student accommodation building in Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. The building is located on the University of Plymouth's main city centre campus, and is owned by University Partnerships Programme (UPP) Limited. It is one of two halls located directly on-campus at the university.

Francis Drake Hall of Residence
The front of Francis Drake Hall of Residence
The front of Francis Drake Hall of Residence
General information
AddressFrancis Drake Hall of Residence, James Street, Plymouth, Devon PL4 6AP
Coordinates50.376308°N 4.139249°W / 50.376308; -4.139249
Current tenants330
CompletedJune 2008
Renovated2021/2022 (External cladding)
OwnerUniversity Partnerships Programme (UPP) Ltd.
Height25 m (82 ft)
Technical details
Floor count8
Design and construction
Architect(s)Willmore Iles
Structural engineerAirey & Coles
Services engineerDCL Consulting Engineers, Mitie
Main contractorCowlin Construction
Renovating team
Main contractorKier Group
Other information
ParkingPermits required
Website
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/services/accommodation/halls/francis-drake
Francis Drake Hall of Residence (Rear)

Background

Francis Drake Hall of Residence has 315 en-suite rooms arranged in flats with between three and ten rooms,[1] and 15 self-contained studio rooms, all spread across three blocks. The building's blocks are named after areas in the city - Armada, Barbican, and Citadel.[2] The building also has on-site laundry facilities, and a café attached to the ground floor.[3]

The building is named after Francis Drake, an English sailor and privateer best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580.[4]

As of 2023, the building has a rating of 3.6 stars on StudentCrowd.[5]

History

Construction

The site the building is located on was originally a car park for the university. Construction began in 2005. UPP hired Paula Willmore and Stephen Draper from Willmore Iles Architects to design the building, and Cowlin Construction to build it. The building was completed in June 2008.[6]

Cladding replacement

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the owner and operator of the building, UPP Ltd. tested the cladding and found that it was safe to remain. However, the cladding was visually ageing and they decided to replace the cladding on the building as a precaution and to improve the building's appearance.[7]

A pre-application document was submitted to Plymouth City Council's planning department on 18 June 2021,[8] which was then followed by the submission a full planning application on 20 August 2021, which was approved.[9]

Work began at the start of the 2021/2022 academic year. Scaffolding was erected and students remained living in halls that year, which led to complaints from students who were living in the hall during this time.[7]

Incidents

Arson attack

At 3pm on 24 April 2021, a fire broke out on the 6th floor of the building.[10] One person was injured, suffering from smoke inhalation, and a 21-year-old woman was later arrested under for arson after an investigation to determine the cause of the fire was completed.[11][12]

References
  1. "Find Student Accommodation Francis Drake Hall of Residence, Plymouth | UCAS". accommodation.ucas.com. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  2. "Francis Drake". UPP Ltd. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  3. "Francis Drake Hall". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  4. Bradley, Peter T. (1999). British Maritime Enterprise in the New World: From the Late Fifteenth to the Mid-eighteenth Century. Edwin Mellen. p. 348. ISBN 978-0773478664.
  5. "Francis Drake Hall, Plymouth - 30 Reviews by Students". www.studentcrowd.com. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. "Francis Drake". Willmore Iles. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  7. Eve, Carl (27 June 2021). "Student halls where fire broke out to get new cladding". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  8. "21/01136/MOR | Pre-application for re-cladding of building and confirmation of whether works constitutes development | Francis Drake Halls James Street City Centre Plymouth PL4 6AP". planning.plymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  9. "21/01603/FUL | Re-cladding of building with Rockpanel | Francis Drake Halls James Street City Centre Plymouth PL4 6AP". planning.plymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  10. Eve, Carl (24 April 2021). "Plymouth students evacuated after fire alarms in Uni halls". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  11. "Woman arrested after fire at Plymouth University halls". BBC News. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  12. Eve, Carl (25 April 2021). "Woman arrested on suspicion of university halls arson". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 26 June 2023.

50.375600°N 4.140260°W / 50.375600; -4.140260

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