What's happening?

The Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre is poised to become a key addition to the South West's maritime strengths and be at the forefront to national green energy futures.

Establishing a unique combination of multi-skilled teams and set within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere, the Centre will provide space to foster collaboration and create solutions to industry challenges around decarbonisation, environmental innovation and, crucially, create genuine social value. Set on the edge of the estuary The Appledore Clean Maritime Centre is designed to maximise interaction with the waterfront, enabling a smooth flow from development to testing to delivery and into commercialisation.

Set next to Appledore Shipyard, the recently approved plans offer high-quality office, workshop and collaboration space for businesses of all sizes. The site is also in close vicinity both to The Crown Estate's Project Development Areas in the Celtic Sea (Leasing Round 5 is now underway) and expected cable routes to shore within Torridge, offering significant future green hydrogen production and offtake potential.

With scoping now underway for additional manufacturing and innovation sites within easy reach of the core site, Appledore stands to serve as a real catalyst for regional growth within the "Blue" economy - the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.

The Centre is working in partnership with key bodies such as Maritime UK SW, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), National Shipbuilding Office, Innovate UK, Innovate UK Edge and the Catapult networks. These partnerships, combined with links to exciting activity at the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport and regional neighbours Celtic Sea Power, ensures the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre will be a key driver for job creation and Net Zero-driven growth.

A key role for the Centre will also be to inspire local pride and to build aspiration at all ages to enable people to develop new skills and access higher-earning employment. Partnering with schools, colleges, universities, and businesses across the South West the aim is to deliver a range of innovative new courses, from mid-level engineering courses through to higher level apprenticeships.