Marine Leisure Hub
The project involved the construction of a new watersports facility in Ilfracombe, North Devon which is nestled within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) between Larkstone and Rapparee Coves.
The hub boasts community facilities for local watersports clubs and includes storage for boats, a slipway providing safe and easy access to the water, training and event facilities, disabled access and a commercial cafe with stunning views of the harbour. Those using the hub have access to changing rooms and indoor and outdoor shower facilities.
There was a requirement for a new sea wall and slipway which made for a complex build. The bespoke sea wall blocks are uniquely modelled to fit the shape of the cover, and could only be installed at certain points of the Ilfracombe tide.
Construction Challenges
The main building was constructed using a heavy steel frame infilled with masonry walls to the ground floor and lightweight steel framing to the first floor; externally a stone façade clad at first-floor height with larch cladding and topped with a zinc standing seam roof.
An insitu concrete ground floor with falls for the boat stores, an insitu concrete first floor included steel permanent shuttering. Internally the first floor fit out consisted of a painted underside of roof structure with coordinated surface mounted services, vinyl floor coverings and traditional wall finishes.
With the site being very steep the levels gave rise to the need for an external grade passenger lift, its drainage included coordinating & installing a pumping station on this congested site. On a further level higher up the cliff we constructed a new canoe store that also incorporated showers and changing facilities. This two-storey timber frame building was finished externally in shiplap larch cladding with a black cement sheet roof. Internally traditional fit out with cement-based boarding to the canoe store.
A state-of-the-art marine leisure and learning hub
The new Ilfracombe Water sports Centre has become an exciting, state-of-the-art marine leisure and learning hub and a unique place of education that has become a real asset to North Devon. It provides numerous water sport opportunities for residents and visitors to learn new water sports including the safety aspects of those past-times. It also allows them to make the most of the fantastic North Devon coastline from the water and also enjoy the spectacular scenery at the same time.
The new centre boasts community facilities for local water sports clubs giving their clubs a home and a base. It includes storage for boats, a slipway providing safe and easy access to the water, training and event facilities and a beautiful commercial café, installed as part of the contract works Pearce Construction undertook, which has stunning views of the harbour.
Construction Award Nominee
This facility is not just a place of education for aquatic enthusiasts but a testament to visionary infrastructure. With state-of-the-art facilities, it stands as a paragon of inspiring infrastructure, fostering a love for water sports among locals and visitors alike. Its sustainable design and inclusive approach made it a worthy entry into the “Excellence in Educational Building Project” category of the constructing excellence awards, reflecting the commitment of Pearce Construction to learning and social cohesion.
The project has also been shortlisted for the Michelmores Property Awards 2024.
Client: North Devon District Council
Architect: Grainge Architects
Value: £3,300,000
Procurement Route: Competitive Tender
Duration: 20 Months
“I am very proud of our team and the work we have undertaken to create this Water sports Hub. It has been a challenging but very rewarding project. This is a very unique new place of learning which we hope will be well used by the local community and others. I want to thank our client and everyone who has been involved in successfully delivering the project”
Customer Satisfaction Survey
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In December 2020, I became the internal project manager for North Devon Councils Larkstone Watersports Project, which after nearly a decade in planning and funding moved into delivery phase. Pearce Construction successfully won the tender of this £3.2m project.
The project had a complexity on a number of significant levels, budgetary constraints, working in an intertidal habitat to build a new slipway and seawall. The site itself was challenging in terms of conservation, topography and geographical restraint.
Mark Davies and Kevin Taylor were fundamental to the projects successful delivery, they were integral in enabling us to overcome numerous technical and logistical challenges to deliver the project, which we did within budget with their support.
With their proactive construction skill set, we were able to bring together a true project team, which included a number of significant subcontracts, which they managed diplomatically to achieve the results needed in the timescales required.
Their site manager, Joe Williams, became central to project delivery and his dedication, attention to detail and commitment should be recognised as a key factor to the success of the final scheme.
Larkstone Watersports has since won the Michelmores Property Award for Leisure and Tourism 2024. Mark, Kevin and their Team at Pearce must be recognised for their significant part in delivering this facility. The attention to detail and workmanship in the final result speaks for itself.
The care they have taken in understanding the client’s requirements is demonstrated by the inclusion of the adjacent Lime Kiln into the project, which was fundamental to the centres commercial viability.
Whilst Larkstone was a new build project, we have been fortunate again to have Pearce Construction work with us on North Devon Councils Future High Street Project with the refurbishment and new build at 36/37 Boutport Street.
Whilst still in delivery a number of challenges have been faced with the refurbishment of the listed building and again their workmanship and attention to detail has proved vital in preserving the heritage of this property.
Their site manager, Pete Hambly runs the site and day-to-day management of the project in a professional and exemplar manner, understanding the client’s requirements and working with the rest of the design team to find solutions to challenges.
Both of these projects went out to tender via the Councils Portal, and responding to the associated tender documents is a challenge in itself. Pearce Construction demonstrated their commitment to this process, hence their successful appointment.
The working relationship they have developed with myself and the wider team has been beneficial for all concerned and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
