The first phase of a 35 hectare development that will be the new home for marine enterprise in Plymouth has been given planning permission.
Oceansgate, which is on the southern edge of Devonport Dockyard, one of the largest naval dockyards in Europe, will bring together marine-based businesses to create a world-class hub for marine industries with opportunities for research, innovation and production in a collaborative environment.
Planning permission for phase one was granted earlier this week and will enable the construction of new office and industrial space totalling 27,751 sq ft to start in early 2017. Later phases will include additional workspace and waterside facilities including docks and jetties.
Property consultancy JLL and William Lean have been instructed to market the site and the company are now focusing its efforts on promoting the opportunity to local, national and international businesses in the marine sector.
Tim Western, head of JLL’s Exeter office, said: “Plymouth’s maritime history stretches back hundreds of years and its docklands are already home to a growing network of scientific, advanced engineering and high-tech manufacturing companies. Oceansgate however is going to catapult the city’s capabilities in this sector into a different league by offering workspace and facilities which exactly match the needs of modern marine companies from home and abroad.
“There will be workspace suitable for small start-ups and innovative businesses all the way up to international players and the space is designed in such a way that encourages sharing of ideas and collaboration.”
“Our marketing efforts are now well underway, starting with promoting the opportunity to businesses already based in the Dockyard. We will also be focusing on operations in the wider South Coast area as well as national and international companies via our network of 280 JLL offices in 80 countries.”
The aim is for Oceansgate to be a hub for a wide range of core marine and blue-tech businesses working across a number of sub-sectors including marine biology, marine engineering, water technology, subsea specialists, marine renewables, vessel building, naval architects and marine finance.
It’s location next to luxury yacht manufacturer Princess Yachts International and Babcock Marine, one of the largest marine companies in the UK, and the direct deep water access to the English Channel make it an unrivalled location for a wide range of businesses.
The first phase of development will consist of two blocks of industrial units totalling 14,081 sq ft each and a 13,670 sq ft three storey office building. There will also be 32 parking spaces for the offices and 28 spaces for the area around the industrial units.
The three phases currently planned at Oceansgate, once completed, will feature a total of 270,000 sq ft of workspace with deep water docks and jetties and will be home to hundreds of high value jobs.
Oceansgate is the first exclusively marine Enterprise Zone in the country and is a key part of Plymouth’s City Deal.
