Harwich's historic Navy Yard could be transformed with 139 new homes

A planning application has been made to Tendring Council to demolish a car park and warehouse, as well as an office building on the Navyard Wharf complex on Kings Quay Street.

The application, by Navyard Ltd, seeks to create a development comprising 125 houses and 14 flats and almost 1,000sq m of commercial space.

The company also wants to install new flood defences as well as waste and recycling storage facilities.

Promenade - The new proposed promenade and multi-function container stalls (Image: Gaunt Francis Architects)

The plans have been revised from earlier proposals for more than 300 homes. 

The original application also proposed a series of beach huts on the southern side of Navyard Square.

But the new proposal hopes to create a market filled with shipping style containers similar to other sites in Camden and Felixistowe's Beach Street.

There is also a planned extended waterside promenade with a café, public plaza with water feature, and seating on raised timber decking which would overlook the sea.

If successful, the proposal would create 339 car spaces, 23 motorcycle spaces, 12 disability spaces, and 317 cycle spaces.

There would be seven one-bed flats, three two-bed flats, and four three-bed flats, 15 two-bed houses, 71 three-bed houses, and 39 houses with four bedrooms or more.

Key changes to the scheme also include the omission of the omission of the circular landmark building, three large apartment blocks and the covered car park on the deck.

There is also a new addition of a new green street in the form of a 'pocket park' and the Navyard's existing curved warehouse on Kier deck is planned to remain. 

The first proposal's public promenade "found favour" with Tendring Council but Historic England and the council considered the apartment blocks and landmark tower were "an inappropriate change of scale".

2020 - CGI plans from Navyard from 2020 where 373 houses and flats were planned (Image: CGI by Navyard Limited)

The proposal says almost 100 full and part-time jobs would be created.

Gaunt Francis Architects were also asked for a comment about the price of the new development. 

Before the application from was made, a historic environment officer from Essex County Council (ECC) recommended a professional team of archaeologists should undertake archaeological work.

The ECC officer said: “There is a high probability for disturbance of any potential below ground remains within parts of the site which will need to be assessed prior to any archaeological investigation.”

Tendring Council will rule on the proposals.