Bull Point Barracks, is a listed former military barracks built in 1856-7 in Barne Barton, Plymouth to defend a nearby ordnance yard and protect the northern approaches to Devonport Dockyard. 

Surrounded by a high defensive wall, the barracks include buildings that originally served as soldiers and officers quarters, a canteen, an expense magazine, a guard room, garages, stables, WC facilities, an ablutions room, wash house and straw store.  The MOD vacated the site in the late 1990s, and the property has been falling into disrepair ever since.

The Pioneers Project CIC, have been working in and with the community of Barne Barton for several years shaping a community-led plan for Bull Point Barracks that will regenerate the heritage site in the service of the local community.  The outcome of an extensive period of creative consultation, their vision for the site is for a mixed use facility that includes: a café, flexible rental space, a gym, a soft-play facility, start-up units, offices, an alternative education facility, a community hall, workshops and ancillary / service spaces.

As the project has evolved, a route to project delivery has started to take shape that will see the restoration of the Barracks acting as a vehicle for skills development, with a particular focus on green retrofit and providing opportunities to young people and probation service-users.  The scale of the project means that it can support trainee apprenticeships over a period of years, helping to develop and retain retrofit building skills in the local economy.

The development is proposed in phases, starting with the restoration of the Guardhouse as a flexible, multi-functional space that can support a variety of activities, including an occasional cafe, community fridge, with a mobile soft-play bus and WCs located on the Parade Ground and surrounded by planters for community growing. 

Studio Skein have supported the Pioneer’s Project through 4 years of project and funding development work: assembling a design team; preparing feasibility studies; developing a conceptual site masterplan, energy and heritage strategies; supporting local consultation and conducting pre-application enquiries.