Construction work has begun on the new 171-berth King Point Marina at Millbay in Plymouth.

The marina is being developed by waterfront regeneration and destination specialists Sutton Harbour Holdings PLC.

Shoreside piling is already underway and wave gates will be installed at the marina entrance in April. Building work is scheduled to be completed by early August, and the marina and shoreside facilities are expected to be officially opened in late summer.

Jason Schofield, chief executive of Plymouth-based Sutton Harbour Holdings, said: “King Point Marina will extend our existing operation of high quality marina facilities at Sutton Harbour, enable more boat owners to experience the excellent sailing waters we have here in the South West, and reinforce Plymouth’s position as one of the UK’s leading marine destinations.”

The marina aims to transform the inner dock basin at Millbay into a centerpiece for English Cities Fund’s (ECf) regeneration of 20 acres of former Plymouth dockside, and to create a vibrant waterfront city quarter. Sutton Harbour Holdings has completed a long lease on the site with ECf and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Millbay’s inner basin, which first opened in 1857, was designed by celebrated engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In 2010, ECf completed major infrastructure works to restore the inner basin and its listed quay walls. The work was carried out following a £4.5 million investment by the HCA and paved the way for the historic harbour to be brought back into use.

Building work on King Point Marina is being carried out by Exeter-based construction company Devon Contractors and marine design and construction market leader Walcon Marine.

King Point Marina will provide sheltered berths for vessels from five meters to 25 metres in length. A two-storey shoreside building will offer showers, toilets and amenity areas for berth holders on the ground floor, surrounded by terraces with direct access to the marina pontoons.

The first floor has been designed as a flexible space offering 165 sq m that could accommodate a waterfront yacht club restaurant or marine related businesses, with timber decked terraces commanding superb views over Millbay and Plymouth Sound.

Leader of Plymouth City Council Tudor Evans said: “This is a major milestone in the project to bring Millbay back to life. We’re getting a sense of change in the area with new homes being built, shops and cafes opening up. Now it is the turn of the dock itself to get a transformation. It’s going to be fantastic.”