Plans go in for Appledore’s £15.6m Maritime Innovation Centre

Plans have been lodged for the multi-million Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre, which is touted as offering huge benefits to the local economy.

The multi-purpose centre will include offices and workshops as well as quayside access to the water and has been made possible thanks to a £15.6million grant from the Governments Levelling Up Fund issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The project is being delivered by Torridge District Council, with the application prepared and plans designed by Cardiff-based architects Stride Treglown.

The centre is described as ‘a beacon of creativity, collaboration and cutting-edge research for clean propulsion, maritime innovation and sustainable practices’.

It aims to build the area’s marine-based economy off the back of Appledore’s ‘rich maritime history’.

Documents accompanying the planning application say the new centre will be ‘offering flexible and adaptable offices and workshops to support business growth, inspire the next generation and attract wider private sector investment into the region’.

It will be located on the brownfield Middle Dock site in Appledore and the application also includes proposed works to repair the sea wall.

It is envisaged the centre would work alongside businesses such as the nearby Appledore Shipyard owned by Harland & Wolff as well as Exeter and Plymouth universities and Petroc College.

The Innovation Centre would have access to the estuary for real-world product testing and it is also thought it would link into commercial opportunities with the proposed Celtic FLOW offshore wind farm.

The outline planning proposals also include the rebuilding of a stone warehouse that respects the current buildings heritage alongside all new structures and footpaths and upgraded road frontage.

Ken James, leader of Torridge District Council, said: “This planning submission is an important milestone along the journey to deliver the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre, and I’d like to thank the Officers for their hard work and skill in getting to this point.

“It is another step towards the crucial objective of delivering higher-skilled employment in Appledore and to generate wider benefits across both the district and wider region.”