Abandoned slipway to get £1m renovation

Site clearing has begun at the location of the new Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre

An abandoned slipway in north Devon is to get a £1m renovation as part of a shipbuilding project.

The work is part of the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre initiative led by Torridge District Council, which aims to be a world leader in clean shipbuilding

It received funding from the government as part of a deal in which local services are devolved away from Westminster.

The £1m will be added to £15.6m which was already secured by the centre in 2023.

An artist's impression of the proposed Clean Maritime Innovation Centre at Appledore

The district council said the work would widen the slipway for vehicles, vessels and pedestrians.

Repairs will also be made to the Harland and Woolf slipway wall and it is hoped the work will improve access to the estuary.

The district council said the funding must be spent by the end of March 2025 or it will be asked to return it.

Sean Kearney, the district council's head of communities and place, said he was certain most of the money could be used by then but discussions were under way with the county council to assess any flexibility.

He said once work was complete people could use the slipway as they wished as there would be full public access.

Work is scheduled to start on the centre in 2025 after the construction of the Quay Wall.

The facility is due to open in 2026.