Plymouth City Council has paused the proposal to rename Sir John Hawkins Square, Plymouth Live reports, while it reviews its street naming policy under new legislation. The square had already been set to become Justice Square in 2023, but the process is on hold again after the legal framework changed at the start of 2024.
A council spokesperson said: "Regarding the square’s name – the proposal to rename it is on hold." The spokesperson added: "We are reviewing our street naming and numbering policy and procedures to ensure they align with the new legislative requirements of S81 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, which came into force in January 2024, replacing the previous legal framework governing street renaming."
Sir John Hawkins Square
The dispute began in 2020, when a petition called for a name change for the square near Plymouth Magistrates Court in Plymouth City Centre. Some people pressed for that after the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, linking the square’s name to Sir John Hawkins, who is widely considered to be the first English slave trader.
Plymouth City Council removed street signs soon after the row because it was worried they would be vandalised. It then began work on renaming the square, but Danny Bamping spearheaded legal challenges against the proposal and the council later started again from scratch.
Justice Square in Plymouth
In 2023, the council said it had decided to rename the location Justice Square and told anyone who opposed the change to lodge an appeal at Plymouth Magistrates Court. That decision did not end the dispute. A legal challenge followed, and the council has now returned to review its naming policy before taking the next step.
The pause leaves the 2023 decision in place as a past council choice, but not one that has yet been carried through into the street name on the ground. For residents and campaigners, the practical result is that the square keeps its current name while Plymouth City Council works through the legal rules that now govern street renaming.
Danny Bamping and six years
Six years after the petition, the issue remains unresolved. Danny Bamping’s legal challenge helped force the council back to the drawing board once already, and the new review under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 means the naming process will stay stalled until the council finishes checking its policies and procedures.
For now, anyone waiting for a final answer on whether Sir John Hawkins Square will become Justice Square has only the council’s review to watch. The hold could end the current impasse, but the policy check has pushed the decision further away again.
