New marina and boatyard at Noss on Dart officially opens

Premier Marinas has officially opened its new flagship marina and boatyard at Noss on Dart in Devon.

Premier Marinas CEO Pete Bradshaw was joined by Anthony Mangnall MP and the Mayor of Dartmouth, Cllr. David Wells to officially open the marina during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of phase one of the development near Dartmouth, on the UK’s southwest coast.

Premier Marinas purchased the 37-acre site, formerly the Philip & Son shipyard, out of administration in 2016 with support from owners Wellcome Trust. The firm says the regeneration of the site has generated 260 local construction jobs, a commercial space which will offer up to 174 gross additional jobs once fully operational and up to 100 jobs supporters across South Hams. It will also introduce a new residential population of 400 — creating household expenditure of up to £4 million per annum.

The 232-berth floating marina has a full-service boatyard with a 75-tonne travel hoist, a dry stack for over 100 boats and facilities including a lounge with panoramic views of the River Dart. An onsite café will open soon, and the recently launched ‘Noss Ferry’ connects people with Dartmouth Town.

Some 23 commercial buildings provide a home for the South Devon College Marine Academy and a hub for a range of marine and leisure services.

Premier says the £34m investment to date covers all the above plus significant infrastructure projects such as a new road bridge across the railway, an electricity substation, a multi-storey car park and the provision of a public car park for users of the Dart Valley trail which passes behind the site.

Phase two of the regeneration has already commenced with a planned further £45m investment to include a 69-room boutique hotel, 41 riverside apartments and a central plaza. Beyond this, there are three further sites with planning consent for 78 residential dwellings.

The redevelopment has incorporated some environmental initiatives, including solar power generation on all buildings, wildlife-friendly lighting, a FiltaBund boat wash recycling system which prevents contaminated run-off from being released into the river, 12 electric vehicle chargers and the planting of a green wall around the car park.

In January, Premier appointed Mike Smith to the post of marina manager at the Noss on Dart location.