The UK's largest dockyard is to undergo an extensive refurbishment project which will begin with a two-year programme to redevelop a dry dock for nuclear submarines.
More than 600 construction jobs will be created during the rebuilding of the 10 Dock Facility at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth.
Babcock International Group Plc, the engineering giant which operates the yard, has announced plans which will include the demolition of existing buildings and construction of new ones, to support a Royal Navy maintenance programme for “new and existing classes of submarine”, such as the new Dreadnought-class ballistic missile subs due to arrive in service in the 2030s.
A report submitted to Plymouth City Council said the redevelopment of 10 Dock, and buildings near it, is one of “a number of projects associated with a major infrastructure refurbishment of the nuclear licensed docking and berthing facilities at the dockyard”, which, with three and a half miles of waterfront, is the largest, not just in the UK, but in Europe.
The phased project would take two years to complete and would start and finish sometime between 2021 and 2025, with 650 construction workers needed on-site.
Babcock estimates the peak construction time is likely to be between late 2022 and the start of 2025.
Documents submitted to the council said the dockyard employs 5,500 people and generates about 10% of Plymouth’s income.
A document says: “The proposed development is anticipated to provide an additional 650 construction workers with employment opportunities as well as providing additional employment opportunities during the operation.
“This is expected to bring health and socio-economic benefits associated with job creation and continued employment.”
Initially, work would be carried out to make the 2.61-hectare dry dock narrower, with strengthened walls and a higher barrier to prevent flooding in case sea levels rise due to climate change.
There would also be a new floor to the dock, one of four dry docks south of 5 Basin, and dockside buildings would be demolished and replaced with new ones, and new cranes would be built too.
The report said: “The project is being assessed for potential impacts on the environment.”
It added that the impacts are likely to be “significant”, mainly on people living nearby, due to increased traffic during the construction, but said measures would be put in place to mitigate them.
Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd has been appointed to apply to Plymouth City Council so it can carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment, looking into what effects the work will have on neighbouring housing estates and the environment.
Babcock intends to submit a full planning application once this is complete.
Four new Dreadnought-class missile submarines, which will form part of the UK's nuclear deterrent programme, will enter service in the early 2030s.
They will replace the Vanguard-class submarines, becoming the largest submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy.
Plymouth’s largest private sector employer, Babcock has sent some of its workforce home during the coronavirus pandemic but stressed employees engaged in vital defence work are still working at Devonport Dockyard.
The company said it has been in key talks with the Government to ensure critical defence contracts don’t get stifled by the coronavirus outbreak.
It means staff engaged on essential project, including maintaining nuclear submarines, are still at their posts at the yard.
But the company stressed it is working with unions to ensure staff remain safe during the COVID-19 contagion.]
Meanwhile, Babcock is to make 10,000 ventilators for the NHS to use during the coronavirus crisis.
The firm said it responded quickly to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Ventilator Challenge and has been awarded a contract by the Cabinet Office to manufacture 10,000 Zephyr Plus ventilators, subject to regulatory approvals.
The product is being developed in collaboration with an established major international supplier of critical care ventilators.
As well as working on a new prototype, a team of Babcock engineers and specialists have set up a supply chain solution from scratch, the company said.
The team has set up the supply chain, and enlisted a number of UK manufacturers to help with the assembly and production.
