A 'good news' story where Newlyn Harbour continues to be at the forefront of innovation and forward thinking in the fishing industry.
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| An artist impression of how the new marine skills centre will look |
A Cornish architectural practice has revealed plans for a state-of-the-art marine skills centre at the heart of Newlyn’s ancient Harbour.
The proposed Marine Skills and Resource Centre will improve and contribute to training and skills development for Newlyn’s fishers and those who work at sea or in the wider maritime industry.
Architects Poynton Bradbury Winter Cole say if plans get the green light, the Centre will replace the current training facilities, which are scattered around the town, providing a state-of-the-art building, sensitively designed to blend into the surrounding area.
PBWC Director Cian Spowart said:
“Newlyn Harbour has been operating since the 15th century and its fishing fleet is considered to be one of the largest in the UK. The Marine Skills and Resource Centre will centralise the services currently on offer to fishers and those who work at sea. “The purpose-built centre will help to future-proof the maritime industry in Newlyn and beyond.”
The Centre will help to recruit, train, and retain the young people and adults needed to support the fishing, related food processing and wider marine sectors as well as providing learning and development opportunities.
The proposed three-storey, multi-departmental building, will be built using timber and natural Cornish granite and it will have a slate roof or a ribbed, slate-coloured zinc roof. Inside will be core seafood training spaces with engineering training on the ground floor and classroom-based training on the first floor. There will also be engineering workshops, offices, a fisherman’s lounge, and a reception area.
Cian added: “The building will have a robust and low maintenance finish that will blend well with the existing buildings around Newlyn.”
The site is currently used by Marine Management Organisation Officers, who have a temporary unit stationed there. The MMO’s purpose is to protect and enhance the marine environment, and support UK economic growth by enabling sustainable marine activities and development.
Newlyn Harbour Marine Skills and Resource Centre is one of seven projects within the Penzance Town Deal benefiting from the Government’s Town Deal Fund investment.