Plymouth City Council, working as part of Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), has commissioned a major economic study to help the city prepare for the opportunities and challenges arising from an investment programme worth in excess of £4.4 billion at HM Naval Base Devonport and Babcock’s Devonport Royal Dockyard.
The research will provide critical insight into shaping Plymouth’s economic future and maximising the impact of MOD investment over the next decade and beyond. Babcock’s pivotal role in delivering the next phase of the Royal Navy’s submarine programme and the Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD) with support extending through to at least 2070 represents one of the most sustained and significant long-term financial commitments ever made to the city and wider region.
To help ensure Plymouth best manages this opportunity, the Council has appointed one of the UK’s leading economic and labour market research consultancies, Stantec, to deliver a detailed economic forecast and skills gap analysis from 2025 – 2035. Working with major city employers including Babcock and Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), this research will address two key questions: What will Plymouth’s economy look like as a result of this investment? And what skills and workforce capacity will be needed to support it?
This work builds on earlier research commissioned in partnership with Homes England, elevated by Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP) to support the development of the Plymouth City Centre Housing Vision. It forms a key part of the Council’s evidence base for strategic planning, inward investment, and future funding bids. It also directly supports the delivery of the Plymouth Plan, the city’s long-term strategy that sets out how Plymouth will grow in a sustainable way, covering areas such as housing, jobs, transport and the environment.
Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said:
‘This investment is unlike anything Plymouth has seen before—not just in scale, but in its long-term significance. It will shape the future of our economy and our communities, and we need to be ready. This research will give us the hard evidence we need to make good decisions now, so that the benefits are felt across the whole city for decades to come’.
The commissioning of the study reflects the coordinated approach being taken through Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), a strategic partnership between Plymouth City Council, Devonport Naval Base, and Babcock International Group, established to align local and national priorities in support of long-term, sustainable growth. The commissioning of this study was fully endorsed at a city-wide skills roundtable in April, which was attended by a large cross-section of industry, academic and other leaders from the city and wider region.
The research will also play a critical role in helping to attract further investment into Plymouth, supporting bids for additional Government funding and giving confidence to both public and private sector partners looking to invest in the city’s future.
Brigadier, Mike Tanner OBE, Commander HMNB Devonport, said:
‘This study marks another significant step forward for the growth and prosperity of the city. When I arrived in post three years ago, I was able to reassure the city leaders that the Royal Navy and the Naval Base were here to stay. Over the last couple of years, we’ve shown that not only are we staying, we’re modernising and upgrading our capabilities, focused around our submarine maintenance role. This opens up massive opportunities for highly paid, high skills work inside the Base and together with the City and Babcock our work in the GAP alliance is centred around ensuring Plymouth and the region create those skilled people locally’.
John Gane, Managing Director for Babcock’s Devonport site, said:
“Babcock is proud to be deeply rooted in Plymouth, where we’re not just creating jobs – we’re building careers for life. Our investment in people and skills is central to supporting a critical national endeavour, and we remain committed to developing a highly skilled workforce that will sustain both our community and the UK’s defence capability for generations to come.”
Gareth Brown, Development Economics Director at Stantec, said:
“Sustainable economic growth requires a comprehensive understanding of the local labour market, and how this needs to evolve strategically over time. Our teams will be supporting Plymouth City Council with a range of insight to identify immediate and long-term focus areas, create job opportunities across different sectors, and unleash the full potential of this investment.”
The study is expected to conclude by Autumn and will inform both immediate planning priorities and longer-term strategy across skills, housing, infrastructure, and regeneration.
Find out more about Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP) here: Growth Alliance Plymouth | Invest Plymouth