Opposition has been received from a number of organisations responding to plans by UK boatbuilder Princess Yachts International to develop a £45m, 300,000sq ft superyacht new-build facility at South Yard, Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. Among the organisations are English Heritage and the influential Naval Dockyards Society. They suggest that the 250m (820ft)-long and 25m (82ft)-high hangar proposed would damage the dockyard's heritage and dominate historical buildings.

This facility is important to Princess's move into the superyacht market and the £45m investment will extend over three phases spread over several years. The company is already working on two 32m (105ft) yachts and one 40m (131ft) for which buyers are already in place. These are being built in other hangars on the South Yard site.

English Heritage is seeking to get the Plymouth planning authorities to refuse permission as they consider the size of the development out of keeping with that part of the dockyard. The Naval Dockyards Society complains that 30 historic buildings around South Yard will be damaged by the development.

Chris Gates, managing director at Princess Yachts, told SBN: "We are currently talking with Plymouth City Council to discuss all the possibilities and we will agree the next phases together. We have already begun the build of our largest ever yacht at the site by utilising some of the existing facilities but in order to achieve our long-term goals these new plans are essential. Whilst we are of course very sensitive to the aesthetics of the local environment and to the historic buildings of Plymouth, securing local jobs, breathing new life into the shipyard and keeping Plymouth building boats is also extremely important, so we are confident we will find a solution together."

Superyacht Business/David Robinson, 21 July 2010