UK Docks secures approval for new boat maintenance facility in Gosport
A new vessel maintenance centre for Victoria Quay (Source: GSA Media)
UK Docks Marine Services has received planning permission for a new boat maintenance shed at Victoria Quay in Gosport, as part of its ongoing expansion of the Weevil Lane site within the former Royal Clarence Yard. The new facility will add around 1,400m2 of covered workspace, supporting increased refit, maintenance and repair activity across the leisure, defence and commercial marine sectors. Construction is expected to begin this summer, while existing yard operations will continue throughout the build.
UK Docks managing director Jonathan Wilson said: "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."
The company has invested significantly in the site since acquiring it from the Ministry of Defence in 2019. Current facilities include a 75-tonne travel hoist, a 50-tonne transporter, a 55-tonne mobile crane, more than 150m of deep-water berthing and over 1.2 hectares of hard standing.
"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,” said UK Docks business development director Ben Mason. “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."
The development forms part of a wider regeneration programme at Victoria Quay. Adjacent to the boatyard, the Grade II-listed former Royal Navy Rum Store is being redeveloped into nearly 7,000m2 of mixed-use space. The project is supported by GBP 11 million (EUR 12.75 million) from the UK Government's regeneration funding programme, alongside matching investment from UK Docks.
The expansion will also support delivery of the company's recently secured GBP 84 million in Royal Navy contracts.
