First wave of Oceansgate buildings given green light

The first wave of buildings destined to become part of the city’s Oceansgate has now been granted planning permission.

Planners have given the green light to the application to build offices and two rows of industrial units at the entrance to the Marine Industries Production Campus in Devonport.

The two and three-storey buildings will offer flexible office and workshop space arranged in parallel to reflect the historic nature of South Yard as well as the street pattern just outside the boundaries.

The proposals were submitted by Plymouth-based Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, who were awarded the contract to design the first phase of the huge development which is the country’s first marine enterprise zone.

Council Leader Ian Bowyer said:  “This is a major milestone for a scheme that will deliver thousands of jobs in Plymouth. We are getting on with the task of making facilities available and flexible, so that they will suit the needs of the businesses we want to attract.

“All being well, work on this first phase could start early in the New Year.”

The buildings have been designed to the highest quality,  using lots of natural materials. They are also  adaptable so they can include office, design suites, testing labs and training rooms for technology development and prototypes production spaces.

Building 1 is office accommodation arranged over three floors covering an area of 1710sq m. The ground,  first  and  second  floors  have  four  work  spaces  with shared toilet and shower facilities. The ground floor is specially designed to be adaptable for Labs if businesses need to testing facilities.

Building 2 and 3 are more industrial in nature with internal  area  of  662m2  with  capacity  to  take  a  mezzanine  floor if desired.  The buildings can be let as one unit or up to seven individual units depending on business demand. Eeach unit has large 6m high roller shutter doors to make the units adaptable if businesses need to work on large equipment or plant.

The application includes 32 parking spaces for the office block and 28 spaces for the area around the industrial units. The plan allows for flexibility in car parking, loading bays and vehicle entrances for the industrial unit as some of these arrangements will depend on tenant on-site management.

Andy McAdam, Divisional Director for Midas Construction in Devon and Cornwall said: “This is great news. It is important to make sure the design fits the heritage of South Yard and to be suitable for businesses at the same time.”

Landscaping is also planned, including moving the historic capstan which used to haul the ships into the docks to the front of the site to celebrate the site’s maritime heritage.

South Yard covers 7.46 hectare and under the City Deal will become a hub for marine companies, providing workshops, offices and laboratory space for engineering, manufacturing and research.

It will have up to 16,000m2 of flexible employment space with deep water docks and jetties suitable for the marine and advanced manufacturing sectors.

JLL is marketing the site at Devonport which has already attracted over 100 expressions of interest from marine businesses wanting to relocate there.