Work starts on major dental clinic in Plymouth city centre
Work starts on major dental clinic in Plymouth city centre
The project team gathered on the rooftop of the former Lawsons building recently, celebrating the official start of renovation works with a team photograph in the sunshine overlooking Plymouth’s city centre.
Devon Contractors, in partnership with Kendall Kingscott, is transforming the historic building into the University of Plymouth’s new facility where aspiring dentists and dental therapists will treat patients in urgent need of dental care.
The Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE – a subsidiary of the University) clinic will go some way to filling the huge demand for dental care in Plymouth, with long waiting lists across all NHS providers and a lack of practitioners to meet the demand.
Once complete, the clinic will provide essential treatment to local residents, especially those who currently struggle to access care.
And the University’s Peninsula Dental School will offer clinical training opportunities for dental students – combining frontline care with education.
Nigel Whelan, Managing Director at Devon Contractors, said: “We are delighted to be renovating this important new facility for the University and the people of Plymouth. This project will directly benefit local residents by expanding access to urgent dental services at a time when they are most needed. It’s also a privilege to be entrusted with the careful transformation of such a historic building.”
Located on Cornwall Street, the Lawsons building has long been a cornerstone of Plymouth’s retail scene. Originally established as part of the city’s post-war regeneration, Lawsons became a household name in the South West—best known for its high-quality cookware, homeware, and hardware. It stood as a thriving, family-run business that served the local community for decades, with generations of Plymouth families having shopped there.
The building itself is a distinctive feature of the city centre, representative of Plymouth’s resilience and regeneration in the mid-20th century. Its transformation into a healthcare and education facility not only preserves its architectural character, but continues its legacy as a place of public service and community value.
Devon Contractors (contractor) is working alongside Kendall Kingscott (architect) and the University of Plymouth to carefully and respectfully transform this building, preserving its heritage while adapting it for modern use. With this experienced team, the building is in great hands.
Tim Fenton, Executive Director at Kendall Kingscott, said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with The University of Plymouth and Devon Contractors on this facility, designed to provide crucial training for emerging dentists. This public facility will be a tremendous asset to the community, supporting the urgent need for access to dental care, and we are particularly pleased to be collaborating with the university on this initiative. It’s a rewarding ‘full circle’ moment for some of our team members, who are returning to Plymouth to contribute to the project having previously graduated from the university. This specialist project represents a unique collaboration between the healthcare and education sectors, and we are proud to work on a project that will provide a much-needed facility to support education, teaching, and welfare.”
Trevor Wills, Director of Estates and Facilities at the University of Plymouth said: “We are pleased to be investing £5 million in a project that will improve the experience of our students and staff, and contribute to our community’s oral health needs. Following on from our £100 million refurbishments of InterCity Place as a new home for health professions, plus the Babbage Building as a state-of-the-art engineering and design facility, this is another example of us taking a sustainable approach to development and breathing new life into an iconic building. Our new clinic in the old Lawsons premises will significantly increase the University’s ability to provide hands-on, real-world training to the dentists and dental therapists of the future.”
The renovation works are now underway and are scheduled to complete in Autumn 2025.
Photo Credit (Devon Contractors)
From L to R
TARC Ross Northfield , Paul Taylor
Devon Contractors Steve Rosewell, Jay Pilkington, Lee Middleton
UOP Dan Kinsman
Kendall Kingscott Rachel Betty, Paul Scott
SANDS CONSULTANTS Martyn Stroud
HGA Tim Summer
Kendall Kingscott David Loder
PDSE/PCC Nathan Findlay