Rosyth Dockyard to welcome new build hall for advanced shipbuilding work

A new build hall is set to be created at Rosyth Dockyard after a planning application was given the green light.

Babcock International had applied for permission to erect an industrial building with infrastructure at its West Fife base, which will sit alongside the existing state-of-the-art Venturer Hall.

Measuring 48.5 metres high, 65 metres wide and 149 metres long, it will provide “substantial” space for advanced shipbuilding operations and will incorporate two MegaDoors positioned to facilitate the movement of large modules and assemblies.

Inside, there will be two gantry cranes, each equipped with two lifting hooks, providing full lifting coverage across the entire internal floor area.

A planning statement on behalf of Babcock had said the new hall would facilitate the company’s ongoing build strategy.

An image of what the new build hall at Rosyth Dockyard will look like. LDRS

It added: “This Build Strategy will deliver on the prosperity objectives of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) by enhancing UK skills, facilities and capabilities to increase the competitiveness of UK shipbuilding in a global market.

“UK prosperity will be enhanced through investment in the supply chain, skills development, productivity enhancements, and social welfare improvements.”

Approving the planning application, Fife Council planners said the proposed building would be amongst the largest structures at the dockyard complex.

The decision report continued: “However, its location within an established heavy industrial setting ensures that, despite its considerable massing and height, it will sit comfortably alongside existing buildings.

“Assessment against the Development Plan confirms that the proposal aligns with the preferred land use of this safeguarded employment site and supports ongoing industrial growth.

“The proposal would not result in any unacceptable visual, amenity, flooding, drainage, contamination, or transport impacts.”