Development

Baltic Wharf Factsheet

Plans for Baltic Wharf being developed by Acorn Property Group have now been published following a second public consultation event on Friday 9th June and can be seen here: https://www.balticwharftotnes.com/

Baltic Wharf received planning permission in 2012 for a mixed use development including a public plaza and riverside walk along with 5 hectares of green fields; new commercial space totalling 3,820m2; up to 11,000 m2 boat storage; a Retirement Village; and 190 residential dwellings required to provide the funds for the whole development.

Over the last 16 years, despite significant efforts, it has not been possible to find a suitable operator for the Retirement Village and it is with regret this part of the scheme has had to be abandoned while still hoping to secure a Care Home operator for the site.

Currently there are 7 businesses including the boatyard employing a total of approx. 20 staff on the site. The current owners of the site have managed to maintain boat numbers successfully and fill the employment space available but have had no approaches from any marine or other company for additional space over the last 16 years of ownership.

The new plans include :

  • Modern purpose-built marine workshops with boat storage of 9685sqm
  • 4218sqm employment space with potential for 300 jobs
  • A Care Home
  • 195 dwellings
  • Public square and riverside walk with access to 5 hectares of hillside space;

Concerns about the potential future of the boatyard have been addressed in the latest plans which create a modern and viable boatyard:

  • Modern marine workshops, designed to the brief of the existing tenants and with scope for more marine businesses
  • Avoid the massive and highly disruptive “cut and fill” exercise on the hillside behind the boatyard envisaged in the original plan
  • Accommodates almost the same number of actively used boats as now (at present there is significant space occupied by the non-active boats which are not used by their owners and these boats will no longer be accommodated).

The scheme will be phased over a number of years with the boatyard plans implemented first to minimise disruption. It is planned to keep the boatyard working without interruption for the duration of the scheme.

The site plans are being finalised now and are due to be submitted for planning approval in the next few weeks.

Further notes

Baltic Wharf is owned by TQ9 Partnership LLP comprising 3 local families. They have a joint venture agreement with Acorn.

Acorn is a bespoke development company with significant experience of local brownfield developments.

Enquiries to: Steve Mittler TQ9 Partnership steve@plumlocations.net

13.6.23

Baltic Wharf Planning update February 2025

As you will probably have heard by now the planning application to complete the redevelopment of Baltic Wharf has been refused by SHDC, mainly on the grounds of the lack of Retirement Village and scale and massing. The application, which followed the grant of outline permission for a mixed-use redevelopment more than a decade ago would have seen an investment of over £80m in the town and made the site a low-carbon, thriving and attractive marine, employment and residential hub with very significant benefits for Totnes.

The application proposed 194 market and affordable homes, 4500 m2 of new employment space, a Care Home, and opened the site to the public with a public square, riverside walk and 13 acres of public open space. Without the subsidy created by the housing none of the other elements of the proposal could be financed.

The Design Review Panel, who are independent of both SHDC and the developers, commended the design of the scheme. The consultants engaged by SHDC to assess the viability of the scheme assessed that 6% of the homes should be affordable (a low figure due to the cost of building on a brown field site). This was agreed by the developer who had in fact could have delivered 15-30% affordable housing (up to 58 homes) available if SHDC were willing to pursue a grant-based approach (which is a form of government funding for affordable housing).

It is not well understood that the outline permission granted in 2012 capped the maximum size of the boatyard that could be operated at Baltic Wharf at 11,000 m2. The plan submitted proposed a yard slightly smaller than this cap, as a result of a decision to avoid cutting out a significant area of hillside at the back of the site to avoid considerable environmental damage.

While the new boatyard would have accommodated perhaps 10-20 fewer active boats at peak times than in the past, with 18 years of experience running the yard we are very confident that it would have been highly viable with the extra marine employment space promising a good long term future.

More importantly, the plan would have delivered the opportunity for hundreds of new marine and other jobs in the new commercial employment space.

The refusal is of course frustrating and we are working with our partners, Acorn, to consider the reasons for refusal and our next steps. This may involve an appeal. We will endeavour to keep you abreast of any major developments.

The boatyard will continue to operate as usual and we greatly appreciate your custom and loyalty to Baltic Wharf.

We now have more space for boat storage and Colin Bower would be delighted to talk to you about this. Please contact him on 07836 503618