Ocean Village

It is heartwarming to see the marina at Southampton’s Ocean Village coming back to life after weeks of being almost deserted.

It is all part of the reshaping of Ocean Village by marina operator MDL under a £70 million redevelopment project and is the final phase to arrange a new configuration for the marina berths which  the operators anticipate will meet the growing demands of  berth holders and marina visitors, and will include facilities for superyachts. We needed to maximise berthing potential, making sure of safe and easy access to berths, whilst meeting the needs of existing and future customers.

The marina basin itself was used for commercial ships, and for more than 100 years provided the dockland base for ferry services operated by the railways across the Channel and more recently for cross-Channel car ferry services.  Which all means the marina is deep enough to provide mooring facilities for craft like tall ships and large yachts. At one time it has also hosted the start or finish of round-the-world yacht races.

More recently a 65-bed five-star hotel and spa, has been opened and more luxury apartments added overlooking the marina, with a number of restaurants and retail outlets below.

Dominating the outlook of the marina too is the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, which offers sailors and visiting yachtsmen in the marina use of their facilities and a warm and friendly welcome.

The city has long been found on a seafaring life which is why I find it so heartwarming to see the marina returning to life.