Thanet council is inviting residents to learn more about its designs for a Green Campus 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 in July 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.
A public exhibition of the latest designs will take place at Arch 6, Military Road, Ramsgate CT11 9LG on:
- Wednesday 1 May, 2pm to 7pm
- Thursday 2 May, 2pm to 5pm
- Friday 3 May, 9.30am to 12pm
There will be a number of boards on display showing the designs. The project architects and project management team will be there on the first day of the exhibition (Wednesday 1 May) to answer questions. The council’s project team will attend all three sessions.
Following the event, the boards will remain on display at the Military Road venue and can be viewed during two further sessions, on Tuesday 7 May, 2pm – 4pm and Thursday 9 May, 9am – 11am.
The feedback from the July drop-in session was reviewed and has helped to shape the revised designs now on display. A planning application will be submitted following the public event.
Some £9,615,100 has been earmarked for port projects with £3.5 million of this for improved port infrastructure.
However, a report to councillors earlier this year said port infrastructure work is likely to need £10m, far exceeding the £3.5 allocated for site clearance and remediation; improved breakwater and new berthing infrastructure.
The Port Infrastructure project includes the refurbishment of berths 2 and 3, and land based works needed to support ro-ro ferry operations, including facilities for UK Border Force.
Last year Thanet council approved an option for a multi-purpose hybrid model at the port offering a concession contract with a lease attached to it. Agreements with Brett Aggregrates and wind farm operators would remain in place.
The option means the council retaining the management of part of the Port, such as non-ro-ro traffic, with ro-ro cargo and traffic managed by a third party.
Thanet council has been seeking expressions of interest from commercial port operators.
