'Essential' Royal Navy boat repair yard in Gosport will be 'impressive' and keep ships at sea, director says
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Expansions efforts are increasing at Victoria Quay so dozens of ships can be maintained at once
The new maintenance and repair yard in Gosport will be an “impressive structure” and keep Royal Navy ships at sea, a company director has said.
Ben Mason, UK Docks business development director, was pleased to see expansion at Victoria Quay continue. Planning permission for the 1,400sq m building facility was granted earlier this month.
“This planning permission is the next step in the development strategy at Victoria Quay, which supports the growth ambitions at UK Docks and the future for the local area,” Mr Mason said. “We already have the workshops, lifting capacity, and deep-water access, and a new boat maintenance and repair facility gives us the additional covered space to take on more refits and complex projects here in Gosport.”
Containing several boat bays, three workshop spaces, and staff rooms, the new site will help the company keep on top of an extensive maintenance contract. UK Docks, alongside Griffon Marine in Portchester, Serco Maritime, Babcock, and Golden Arrow, won part of the £283.5m Boats In Service Support Contract.
Work in Gosport will see engineers looking after 194 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels. This includes continued work on the P2000 Archer-class vessels, Vahana Workboats, and Ministry of Defence police boats.
The new facility will provide extra covered operational capacity to the Weevil Lane boatyard - a 5.7-acre waterfront site within the former Royal Clarence Yard in Portsmouth Harbour. The site was purchased from the Ministry of Defence by UK Docks in 2019 and is equipped with a 75-tonne travel hoist, a 50-tonne boat transporter and a 55-tonne mobile crane. The yard has over 150 metres of deep-water berthing and more than three acres of hard standing.
UK Docks said the new site, designed by HGP Architects Ltd in Fareham, will increase Victoria Quay’s workspace by roughly 1,400m². Initial construction work will start in the summer, and it’s expected to be completed in 2027. In the planning meeting earlier this month, some councillors complained about a lack of parking provision, and the aesthetics of a large steel building being constructed in a conservation area.
Mr Mason said: “Due to our existing contracts, it's essential we maintain a fully operational boatyard. Building the new boat shed and staff facilities is a complex project, and we are running at full capacity currently at Victoria Quay. So, the development of this site is essential, allowing us to continue to grow the UK Docks business in Gosport and support the other marine businesses across the site.
“When complete, the building will be an impressive structure, flooded with natural light through the clever use of building materials around the roof structure. The large roller shutter doors will allow our mobile hoist to move boats in and out of the new workshop effortlessly - even the Royal Navy’s P2000 boats can be lifted out of the water and moved directly into the workshop in a single operation.”
Managing director Jonathan Wilson added: “The planning permission for the new boat shed at Victoria Quay is another sign of our continued investment in Gosport. Alongside the Rum Store regeneration, which is now underway, this site is becoming a centre for marine services on the south coast. Victoria Quay sits opposite His Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth and is perfectly placed to serve the leisure, defence and commercial sectors.”