Readers query plans for city

READERS have called for answers over whether there is a genuine need for 10,000 new homes in the city and whether the 7,000 new jobs at Devonport Dockyard will actually materialise, due to question marks of whether the shipyard can accommodate new ships.

- By DAVID PRINCE

Last month, The Herald reported that Babcock International Group Plc, the dockyard operator, anticipates a surge in employment due to a £4.4 billioon investment in the facility over the next 13 years.

The company said it would require 5,500 employees to maintain current defence work and an additional 2,000 construction workers for the planned redevelopment of the dockyard over the coming decade.

In its half-year results announcement, Babcock revealed plans to expand its Devonport team in preparation for the arrival of the Royal Navy's under-construction Type-26 frigates.

Simultaneously, Plymouth City Council anticipates an additional £1.5 billion influx into the city, including spending on the Civic Centre's refurbishment.

Yet in October, The Herald reported that industry sources were claiming that Devonport Dockyard sheds were too narrow for the new Type-26 frigates, and that it would be too costly to enlarge the frigate complex.