South Yard outline planning application now submitted

Plymouth City Council has taken the next major step in transforming areas of South Yard into a dynamic new centre for the south west’s marine sector that is expected to bring with it 1,200 jobs.

With the submission of the outline planning application, the City Deal team has drawn up the broad framework for the future of South Yard’s Area 1 and Area 5. They will be transferred from the MOD in three phases from March 2015.

Following October’s public consultation, support was overwhelming for the development to go ahead as a purely commercial undertaking. The second option had included a small amount of accommodation.

Redevelopment of the site will create over 25,000m2 of flexible employment space along with deep water docks and jetties suitable for the marine and advanced manufacturing sectors.

The application covers the refurbishment of existing buildings as well as new builds, with careful provision for the site’s docks, heritage and listed buildings.

It also includes creating suitable specialist facilities at the entrance of the yard which will have the right facilities, such as office, design suites, labs and training rooms for technology development and prototypes production, so that businesses can move straight in.

Council leader Tudor Evans said: “It’s really exciting to get to this stage. People are getting a real sense of what this campus is about – it’s about jobs and plenty of them.

“South Yard will create offices, workshops and laboratories as well as areas for manufacture and assembly, while the docks provide a unique opportunity for companies to create bespoke facilities. The potential for innovation, research and development is very exciting.”

The development of South Yard is part of the City Deal’s Marine Industries Production Campus (MIPC). While South Yard will be the core campus, links with other peninsula sites including Falmouth, Appledore and Hayle will bring opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the progress of South Yard and the City Deal or can sign up for the newsletter on the City Deal website: www.plymouth.gov.uk/citydeal