Plymouth is home to rich heritage, from outstanding marine environments, with protected shipwrecks and internally-important wildlife, to once welcoming Charles Darwin back from his voyage across the world. Here, the largest naval base in Europe and fragile seagrass beds co-exist.
With a £11.6million Heritage Horizon Award, Plymouth now includes a new destination of international importance – the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. As part of a £22m project, the marine park is transforming how the city interacts with the sea, leading the way to protecting our coasts.
This innovative project puts the restoration of nature and the city’s marine heritage at the heart. A series of projects across the city-wide waterfront are creating greater accessibility to the water, opening up new 'gateway' sites, including:
- a welcome centre
- more accessible facilities
- a marine health and wellbeing hub
Connecting people to the ocean
A programme of activities is engaging the whole city, reaching deep into communities to reconnect residents with their cultural ties to the sea. Through education, volunteering and employment, the park will create an estimated 464 jobs.
Promoting marine sustainability
The project aims to tackle and improve the consequences of the current climate crisis on the area and its marine life. A pioneering nature boost programme will restore habitats, including seagrass beds and help species such as little egrets, avocets thornback ray, seahorses and the rare allis shad.
In developing the UK’s first National Marine Park we will create a blueprint for an innovative new model of National Marine Parks across our island nation – and this feels both vital and exciting.
Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council
Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “Yet again Plymouth’s trailblazing approach is leading the UK. As Britain’s Ocean City we have a unique opportunity to pioneer a new approach to protecting and restoring the amazing heritage of Plymouth Sound, transforming the lives of local residents.
"In developing the UK’s first National Marine Park we will create a blueprint for an innovative new model of National Marine Parks across our island nation – and this feels both vital and exciting. We are proud to lead as the first city to enjoy this incredible opportunity to innovate, protect and develop our connections to the sea.”
Find out more about the project.
