The PCH City Centre Shop is closing at the end of the month as more residents are choosing to get in touch with us online or to visit staff at one of our community drop-in sessions.
The shop will be closed from Thursday 31 August.
Plymouth Community Homes has maintained a shop within the city centre since 2012 so residents could drop in to speak to staff when they were in town, and without having to visit to our head office.
But as we’ve increased ways for people to get in touch with us and shopping patterns have changed, fewer people have been visiting the city centre shop – and when it reopened after the Covid lockdowns, footfall was very low.
Since Covid, the shop has been open for three mornings a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but average football has only been around 25 people a week. Of these, at least 20% were not PCH tenants, and many enquiries were for the city council rather than PCH.
Liz Phillips, Head of Income, Commercial and Home Ownership at PCH, said: “The ways in which customers can contact us have increased hugely since the shop first opened, and particularly after the impact of Covid, which changed how people preferred to get in touch with us, and how we responded to customer enquiries. We’ve seen increasing numbers of residents preferring to contact us via the website, the resident portal, email, social media or by calling our Contact Centre.
“We’ve also expanded our community drop-in sessions held across the city, and these prove more popular for residents as it means they can meet with a Housing Officer face-to-face on their doorstep, rather than having to journey into town.”
PCH operates a proactive community presence across the city, working in partnership with local community centres, libraries and groups, Plymouth City Council and Devon & Cornwall Police to host regular surgery-type drop in sessions, as well as hosting weekly drop-in sessions at The Beacon Community Centre in North Prospect, the Mount Wise Towers and Marlborough House.
Housing Officers and Assistant Housing Officers attend drop-in sessions and surgeries so residents can speak to them directly about any issues.
There are lots of ways customers can get in touch with us – and we welcome feedback, comments and queries:
PCH website
You can fill in an online enquiry form, make a complaint or pay a compliment
MyPCH resident portal
PCH tenants can sign up for a MyPCH account where they can pay their rent, check their balance, report a repair, make a complaint, update their contact details or ask for advice.
Social media
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. You can post a comment or send us a direct message via any of these channels.
Call us
Call our Contact Centre for all general enquiries or repairs on 0808 230 6500
Our payment line for rent or debt payments is 0800 032 7100
Our Anti-social Behaviour out of hours line is 0800 028 7377
Visit us
Our head office is at Plumer House on Tailyour Road in Crownhill, PL6 5DH
Monday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5pm
Wednesday: 9am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 4:30pm
Community drop in sessions
Visit the PCH website for regular updates on neighbourhood walkabouts or community events.
The following are regular drop-in sessions where Housing Officers are in attendance. Residents can chat to staff when they arrive, or make an appointment for a specific session in advance if they prefer.
Two Leasehold officers attend sessions at The Beacon every Friday between 9am and 3pm for any leaseholder queries on a drop-in basis.
- Southway Community Centre
Held once a month, days differ, between 10am and 12pm. Upcoming sessions include:
- Thursday 28 September
- Monday 23 October
- Tuesday 21 November
- Four Greens Community Centre, Whitleigh
Held every six weeks between 2pm and 4pm – and timed to coincide with the Community Larder. Upcoming sessions include:
- 21 September
- 2 November
- 14 December
- Estover ELM Centre
Held every three months from September onwards, dates to be confirmed.
- Plympton Rees Centre
Held every three months from September onwards, dates to be confirmed, Weds 2pm-4pm is planned.
- Leigham Community Hall
Held every three months from September.
- St Ayden’s Church, Ernesettle
Held once a month, last Thursday of the month, from 10am-1pm
- St Budeaux Library
Held once a month, last Thursday of the month, from 2pm-4pm.
- Efford Library
Held once a month previously, looking for a new venue at present.
- The Beacon, North Prospect
Held weekly on a Wednesday morning with staff based on site for any housing queries or assistance. Leasehold officers attend on Fridays 9am-3pm.
- Salvation Army building, the Barbican
Held once a month. Next drop in is Wednesday 6 September.
- Tavy House Community Room, Mount Wise Towers, Devonport
Held weekly on a Thursday with games, tea and toast between 11am and 1pm.
- Marlborough House, Devonport
Held weekly on a Tuesday from 12pm-2pm with Tea and Toast sessions and tenancy management officers on hand to discuss any issues.
- Claremont Street Community Room, Stonehouse
Held fortnightly on a Monday from 1pm-3pm.
- The Lighthouse Project, Community Centre, Liskeard
Held regularly, no set dates as yet as a new initiative being run with the Lighthouse Project; more details to come.
