Dart marina will be "UK's best"

Planners have given the green light for the marina at Noss on Dart

Applicant Premier Marinas say that they want to build something very special at the site on the bank of the River Dart, just below Kingswear and opposite Dartmouth.

South Hams District Council planners, under delegated planners, granted full planning permission for the scheme this week.

The plans comprise of:

• new marina with around 232 berths
• a dry stack for 100 smaller boats
• a new quay wall
• a passenger ferry link to Dartmouth
• a boatyard with a 75-tonne boat hoist servicing private, fishing and commercial craft across South Devon
• 21 marine trade commercial units;
• a hotel with 50 rooms,
• two restaurants and a spa;
• a new home for South Devon College’s Marine Academy, that includes engineering workshops and training suites.
• new car parking arrangements
• a Heritage centre to celebrate the site’s history.
• 39 flats, with outline permission granted for 91 new homes

The redevelopment is expected to create 150 to 200 jobs.

Premier Marinas CEO, Pete Bradshaw, said: “‘The redevelopment of Noss on Dart is hugely important to us. We want to build something very special here, to create a sustainable place around the best marina in the UK. After all, this is a glorious site and the majority of it will remain in our hands for a long time to come, so it really matters to us.”

The site was formerly the Philip & Son shipbuilding yard, created in the 1880s, but has operated as a marina and boatyard since shipbuilding ceased in the late 1990s.

Currently, much of the site is derelict and the existing marina infrastructure is in a poor state. The existing marina comprises of 180 berths, 50 moorings, with on-land boat storage available for approximately 400 boats

A spokesman for Premier Marinas added: “The £75m proposed investment in the site will create a unique place of interest and activity at the heart of which will be the UK’s finest marina and boatyard.

“Premier’s plans will reinvigorate the site, creating a waterside place, and to speed up delivery of the development, and in anticipation of planning consent for the main scheme, Premier has already commenced enabling development.

“A scheme to widen and strengthen the railway bridge providing access to the site has just been completed and works to create additional car parking in the woods above the site are underway.

“Demolition of the site’s many derelict buildings will commence this autumn and will be followed by work on the replacement boatyard, car park and commercial buildings.

“Renewal of the floating marina will start in the winter of 2019/20 and once completed, the development of the hotel, Philip’s building and public areas will go ahead.

“Premier hopes to complete work on these core elements of the site by mid-2022 with the majority of the residential development taking place thereafter.”

The redevelopment scheme had been supported by Kingswear parish council, Dittisham parish council, Dartmouth town council, and letters of support for the scheme said that it will supply additional work for local people and bring trade to the area, to have a world class marina in the South Hams can only be good for the area and it will promote the Dart and Dartmouth.