A maritime business park converted from a former Royal Marines base has opened five new marine enterprise units and is now home to 25 companies including a £1million base for defence giant Thales.
Under the ownership of Yacht Havens Group since 2014, Turnchapel Wharf has been transformed from an ex-Ministry of Defence site into a thriving waterfront business hub.
Based on Plymouth’s Cattewater, a number of international firms are already based at Turnchapel including major international maritime businesses such as Fugro, Princess Motor Yacht Sales and Thales with its Maritime Autonomy Centre where it tests robotic boats mainly for dealing with sea-borne mines.
The new units provide more than 800sq ft of workshop and office space for five businesses, as well as providing access to a range of marine facilities at Turnchapel Wharf.
Each unit measures 220sq ft with a large rolled shutter door, and all five were rented off-plan to businesses.
Yacht Havens Group managing director Dylan Kalis said: “We are continuing to develop the site to ensure it is meeting the requirements of a variety of marine business owners.
“These new units provide a new base for five more local businesses, and we will continue to look for opportunities to support these companies as they grow.”
Mr Kalis added: “Turnchapel Wharf is now home to more than 25 thriving marine businesses from SMEs to large international firms developing the latest in maritime technology and marine autonomy.
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“Since we purchased the site in 2014 from the Ministry of Defence, Turnchapel Wharf has undergone a major transformation and we’re extremely proud of the maritime business hub it has now become. We still prosper ambitions to develop more parts of the site and ensure Plymouth remains at the forefront of the changing marine industry.”
One of the new tenants is Elite Marine Engineering which has moved into one of the units after its first year of trading.
Lewis Huddy and Steve Putt, who started the company in 2018, said: “We started off with a just a storage container at Turnchapel Wharf, now a year on we have grown into our first premises.
“With our new unit we have a lot more space where customers can bring their boats or engines to us where we are able to offer minor repairs to full engine rebuilds from our full equipped workshop.”
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With Turnchapel Wharf becoming a hub for marine businesses, Mr Huddy has also witnessed further examples of how neighbouring companies are working closely together.
“Next door to there is a boatbuilder, carpenter, GRP specialists and electrical engineers,” he said. “As a result, we work closely with all these companies to offer customers a complete solution for their boats.
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“The businesses here have become a close-knit community supporting each other and working together for the good of the industry.”
Elec Marine Ltd has also taken occupancy of one of the new units. The marine electronics firm joined Turnchapel Wharf in 2015 with in a smaller office and workshop, but has now moved into a much larger facility.
Jon Rickard, company director, said: “Turnchapel Wharf is an outstanding location to base our business. The quality of facilities and the unique mix of leading marine businesses has helped us to grow as business over the past five years.”