The new Appledore Maritime Innovation Centre.
Torridge District Council is offering money to encourage tenants into its new maritime innovation centre at Appledore. The council has set up a £50,000 tenant incentivisation fund to support early occupancy and establish momentum.
A flagship scheme for the authority, the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre has attracted £18.6 million of external funding, with the lion's share coming from the government’s Levelling Up Fund in 2023. The council’s contribution was the land and £1.25 million but members agreed at a full council meeting on Monday to put an additional £230,000 into the project to maximise its impact.
As well as tenant incentivisation fund, one of the six workshops will be fully kitted out for short-term occupancy (£67,700), a part-time manager role will be created during the first two years of occupation (£11,000), £65,000 will be spent on marketing and awareness and £36,000 on a skills and outreach programme.
The cash will come from the interest accrued from the £20 million of government cash awarded to Torridge under the Community Regeneration Partnership to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the area.
Economic development manager for TDC Chris Fuller said the former brownfield shipyard site at Middle Dock had been transformed into a waterfront employment space in an area with “real maritime heritage”. He urged councillors to be pro-active.
For years the site had laid redundant and was “breeding rats not jobs” said the officer. “There was absolutely no way that you could go near that place and contemplate any sense of pride or positive impact, it was just not possible. Now we have six high quality units and office spaces and meeting rooms.”
The “totally unique” project will be focused on marine innovation, clean energy and education and will deliver STEM sessions and Lego robotics workshops, industry events and open days as well as space for research and development businesses in the blue sector.
Since government funding was announced in 2023, it hasn't been plain sailing for the project which had to be scaled back due to rising costs and universities pulled out of taking space due to issues with long term off-site funding. Some councillors even questioned whether it would be viable.
Mr Fuller said the University of Plymouth was still involved on the strategic advisory board along with the Royal Navy, the National Shipbuilding Office and Innovate UK Business Growth and others.
He said the current national economic climate was not encouraging businesses to invest while there still remained considerable doubt about how growth would be supported.
The tenant incentivisation fund would provide targeted support for qualifying occupiers during their initial occupation. The aim was to reduce barriers to occupation, accelerate take-up of space and establish a critical mass of activity within the building whilst stimulating growth and job creation in the area.
CEO of the South West Business Council and chair of the Torridge Place Board which has overseen the Community Regeneration Partnership Paul Coles said he had spoken to a number of businesses about siting their operations at Appledore and he was “highly confident”.
“It gives me much comfort that you will be able to choose the right type of tenant rather than taking any tenant. Other innovation centres have failed on the basis of taking just any tenant on day one.”
The right tenants would create supply chain opportunities, impact skills and wider growth as well as supporting partners such as shipbuilders Navantia UK at Appledore.
Mr Coles said he wanted young people to be inspired by it and go on to have long-term, well-paid jobs working from that building.
“This will be a huge vital component of south west maritime infrastructure, you are being looked at by other regions with a bit of jealousy at what you have got here.”
Cllr Annie Brenton (Lab, Bideford West) said she hoped she would not see hairdressers, vape shops and stores selling ornaments made in China at the site in two years’ time.
Cllr Lyndon Piper (Lib Dem, Holsworthy) said this was about Torridge "grabbing hold of the project and wanting to drive it” so it didn't “drift into another slightly disappointing commercial space”.
