As I have recently met with the council on behalf of National Maritime to explore how the centre could come forward to fit with the wider maritime innovation infrastructure and provide interaction and opportunities for shared growth, it is great to hear that Torridge District Council Councillors have voted to support the bid to create the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre.
The centre, at Middle Dock, a site which neighbours the Harland & Wolff shipyard, will establish North Devon as a global-leading research and development space for collaborative next generation maritime initiatives.
It will feature cutting-edge research and industry partnerships from the University of Plymouth and the Centre for Future Clean Mobility (University of Exeter), as well as offering a range of offices, workshops, a wet lab and aquaculture tanks to provide modern facilities for local and national businesses to innovate and grow.