Tilbury Douglas is to start construction work on a new operations and maintenance campus in Great Yarmouth next month.

Commissioned by Norfolk County Council, the £21.4 million partnership project is a collaboration with Great Yarmouth Borough Council and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and seeks to capitalise on the now well-established offshore renewables sector off the east coast and the Enterprise Zone that covers sites in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

Following initial demolition work to prepare the site for development in 2021 a contract was subsequently awarded to Tilbury Douglas for the main construction work, which subject to final planning conditions being met, is due to start from April.

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The build is expected to take around 12 months to complete and will see 190m of river quay refurbished and upgraded, along with the creation of new vessel pontoons and delivery of a revised road layout and associated infrastructure to optimise the land available for future development.

As a key investment opportunity under Great Yarmouth’s Town Deal and the borough council’s strategy for economic growth its delivery is expected to provide a welcome boost to the local economy; supporting the delivery of new homes and employment growth in the area.

Councillor Graham Plant, deputy leader of Norfolk County Council and cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure said: “The offshore energy sector provides Great Yarmouth and Norfolk with arguably the single most important economic opportunity for a generation. Oil and Gas has been a mainstay of the local economy for over 50 years and the recent emergence of offshore renewables has presented Great Yarmouth’s port, its supply chain and its skills base with the chance of enjoying hugely significant growth and investment.

“By preparing the site for further development we hope to harness the full potential of our new river crossing and stimulate much needed housing and employment growth across the region whilst supporting our environmental goals through investment in green energy, made more crucial than ever with domestic energy costs skyrocketing.”