 The redevelopment of the city was planned by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in his 1943 Plan for Plymouth whilst simultaneously working on the reconstruction plan for London . Between 1951 and 1957 over 1000 homes were completed every year mostly using innovative prefabricated systems of just three main types ; by 1964 over 20 @,@ 000 new homes had been built transforming the dense overcrowded and unsanitary slums of the pre @-@ war city into a low density , dispersed suburbia . Most of the city centre shops had been destroyed and those that remained were cleared to enable a zoned reconstruction according to his plan . In 1962 the modernist high rise of the Civic Centre was constructed , an architecturally significant example of mid twentieth century civic slab @-@ and @-@ tower set piece allowed to fall into disrepair by its owner Plymouth City Council but recently grade II listed by English Heritage to prevent its demolition . 
