Work is about to start on the £7.2million second phase of Plymouth’s part-EU-funded Oceansgate marine enterprise development.
The contract for construction of Oceansgate Phase 2 is to be awarded to construction giant Kier, the firm which built Plymouth’s £29.5million student accommodation block Beckley Point, the South West’s tallest building.
Oceansgate is being created on disused MoD land in South Yard, Devonport. It will b become a £14.3million marine Enterprise Zone and help cement the city’s ambition as a maritime powerhouse.
The development’s first phase was completed in April 2018 and is now a base for eight businesses, including the new Marine Business Technology Centre, as well as Lang & Potter Marine, international marine consultants MECAL and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Phase 2 will see the creation of a new three-storey office building and 15 light industrial units, which have the potential to create an additional 130 jobs.
The buildings have been designed to be flexible, allowing for a range of sizes of industrial and office space, depending on businesses’ needs.
Like Phase 1, the plans for Phase 2 include the use of natural building materials such as stone to ensure the development fits within its historic surroundings at South Yard.
The contract for constructing Phase 2 is worth £7.6 million. This second phase of Oceansgate has been funded by a £2.25million grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and a Plymouth City Council loan.
Kier employs more than 1,000 people across the South West and has been involved in many of the region's most significant construction projects.
It has a Plymouth base in Crownhill's Plumer House and, in addition to Beckley Point, is responsible for three key Plymouth projects: Derriford Research Facility at Plymouth Science Park; Plymouth Studio School, and the STEM building at City College Plymouth. It also built the new £5million Scott Medical and Healthcare College, at Stoke Damerel Community College.
In Exeter, Kier, already involved in a project to bring Riverside swimming pool back into use, was chosen in 2018 by Exeter City Council's to transform the city’s crumbling bus and coach station site into a new depot with a leisure centre attached.
In Cornwall it has worked on the £60million A30 dualling project at Temple.
Kier has also delivered a number of projects in and around Bristol, including the £19million Bristol Aerospace Centre, which houses the last Concorde plane to fly.
Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans, said: “Oceansgate is a fantastic development, and one we’re really proud of. It’s bringing more jobs and more investment to Plymouth and cementing our status as a leading location for marine industry in the UK.
“It’s a unique offering for businesses, with such close proximity to Princess Yachts, the Dockyard and Babcock, as well as to the in- and on-water testing opportunities offered out by Smart Sound Plymouth, a new proving ground for developing cutting edge technologies.”
To learn more about Oceansgate click here
