Green Light for expansion at Victoria Quay
A MODERN new boat maintenance and repair centre to be built on Gosport’s Victoria Quay will allow UK Docks Marine Services to expand its thriving boat maintenance and repair operations and continue the regeneration of the area.
Planning permission for the new boat shed and staff facilities was granted by Gosport Borough Council this month, with directors saying the building will enable their business to continue growing.
Artist impression of the new look, extended Victoria Quay boat shed, Gosport
The new facility will provide extra covered operational capacity to the Weevil Lane boatyard at Victoria Quay - a 5.7-acre waterfront site within the former Royal Clarence Yard in Portsmouth Harbour.
The site was purchased from the Ministry of Defence by UK Docks in 2019 and is equipped with a 75-tonne travel hoist, a 50-tonne boat transporter and a 55-tonne mobile crane. Additionally, the yard has over 150 metres of deep-water berthing and more than three acres of hard standing.
The company has already made several improvements and investments at the site, but the new boat shed will increase the covered workspace at Victoria Quay by approximately 1,400m².
The purpose-built facility has been designed by Fareham-based HGP Architects Ltd, who have designed a number of local landmark buildings around Portsmouth Harbour.
The boat shed, though, was essential for UK Docks in the wake of winning £84million in Royal Navy contracts to service the navy’s small boats, with much of the work earmarked for Gosport.
Ben Mason, business development director at UK Docks and Victoria Quay, said: "This planning permission is the next step in the development strategy at Victoria Quay, which supports the growth ambitions at UK Docks and the future for the local area.
UK Docks & Victoria Quay Gosport Business Development Director, Ben Mason
"We already have the workshops, lifting capacity, and deep-water access, and a new boat maintenance and repair facility gives us the additional covered space to take on more refits and complex projects here in Gosport.”
Initial work on the new boat shed will start this summer, allowing the existing structure to remain in use whilst building works are completed.
Ben Mason added, “Due to our existing contracts, it's essential we maintain a fully operational boatyard.
“Building the new boat shed and staff facilities is a complex project, and we are running at full capacity currently at Victoria Quay.
“So, the development of this site is essential, allowing us to continue to grow the UK Docks business in Gosport and support the other marine businesses across the site.
“When complete, the building will be an impressive structure, flooded with natural light through the clever use of building materials around the roof structure.
“The large roller shutter doors will allow our mobile hoist to move boats in and out of the new workshop effortlessly - even the Royal Navy’s P2000 boats can be lifted out of the water and moved directly into the workshop in a single operation.”
It is expected that work will be completed by the end of 2027.
The planning approval follows significant recent activity on the same site.
The £22 million transformation of the Grade II-listed former Royal Navy Rum Store at Victoria Quay reached its latest milestone in May 2026 with the completion of enabling works, allowing visible construction to begin.
Enabling works involved making the site safe and accessible, stripping paint from the Victorian walls, clearing vegetation and making the building safe.
Gosport Borough Council secured £11 million from the Government's Local Regeneration Fund in 2023 to support the redevelopment, with UK Docks match-funding the investment. The Grade II listed building, once home to the Royal Navy's entire rum store during the British Empire, is being redeveloped to deliver nearly 7,000 square metres of mixed-use space.
The renovation is led by UK Docks alongside local firm Pritchard Architecture, with support from Gosport Borough Council. The project is expected to create up to 200 jobs and provide a welcome boost to the local economy.
UK Docks is the country's largest independent, family-owned ship repair company and has invested heavily in Victoria Quay since acquiring the site, with regeneration improvements to buildings, infrastructure, and machinery.
The successful Gosport Borough Council-led bid for the 'Reconnecting Historic Gosport Waterfront’ regeneration programme secured funding from the Government's Levelling Up Fund, and when combined with UK Docks' match-funding contribution to The Rum Store, plus this additional investment renewing and expanding the boat shed, represents significant investment in the Victoria Quay site.
Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: "The planning permission for the new boat shed at Victoria Quay is another sign of our continued investment in Gosport. “Alongside the Rum Store regeneration, which is now underway, this site is becoming a centre for marine services on the south coast.
UK Docks Marine Services Managing Director, Jonathan Wilson, welcomes the planning approval to extend the boat shed & facilities at Victoria Quay.
Victoria Quay sits opposite His Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth and is perfectly placed to serve the leisure, defence and commercial sectors.”
Full details of the planning application can be viewed on the Gosport Borough Council planning portal with reference 26/00007/FULL.