Thanet council has launched the search for an operator for its Green Campus scheme at Ramsgate Port which will create spaces for training, enterprise and light industry along Military Road.
The project is part of Ramsgate’s £19.8m Levelling Up programme granted by government in October 2021.
The Green Campus aim is to make the most of Ramsgate’s maritime heritage, skills and location. It will include a mix of training facilities and workspaces, for both small and established businesses, with opportunities for expansion in the future.
Jan Kattein Architects developed initial design ideas for the Green Campus, which can be reviewed on the council’s website. Members of the public were invited to view the plans and give their feedback at an event which took place on Tuesday 18 July.
At that event Gabriel Warshafsky, from JKA, said: “There will be training and community facilities at the front, a ground floor café, rooms for training sessions and workspace units.
“We are hoping to have space for the Ramsgate Cadets to use and we are looking generally at smaller businesses in maritime and marine skills and offshore wind and green energy.”
The designs displayed showed the core of the Green Campus centred around a south-facing courtyard. At the north of the site, there will be training and seminar spaces and a canteen. Two ‘terraces’ of workspace will line the east and west sides of the courtyard which could be combined to create larger units for anchor tenants.
Some £9,615,100 of Levelling Up funding has been earmarked for the port projects with £3.5 million of this for improved port infrastructure.
The council now wants to test the market by engaging with potential operators. This will help inform the proposed operating model and procurement exercise.
The council would like to hear from:
- Organisations who currently operate workspaces, or are keen to do so
- Smaller organisations and/or individuals who are interested in forming a new organisation to operate a workspace
- Interested organisations are invited to complete a questionnaire that will inform the council’s understanding of the market. The aim is to understand whether this opportunity is of interest to relevant and experienced operators.
- Details of how to register can be found on the council’s website. The deadline for completing the questionnaire is Wednesday 17 January 2023. At this stage this is a market-testing exercise, not a call for competition.
Cllr Ruth Duckworth, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property, said: “The Green Campus project will help us to maximise the potential of the Port of Ramsgate. It will attract new businesses to locate to the Port, creating much needed employment and training opportunities, with a maritime focus.
“I am very pleased that we are now able to move to the next phase of the project, and look forward to seeing the results of the operator survey.”
