Sovereign Harbour

The concept for the area came as a gift of the land out of private ownership and ministry of defence use. After some change in legislation, planning was given to the no man's land that existed with no public access. The possibility of housing on the site came in the early 1970s when it was considered that community design and an inclusive plan would enable the site to accommodate visitors, businesses, and homes. The commercial area for retail began trading in 1993 and today still expects some additional business and commercial entities to open. The shingle area was formerly known as The Crumbles. Now Sovereign Harbour has a fishing quarter and boatyard, shops, restaurants and bars,…

The tidal Outer Harbour is only used for entrance to the marina through twin sea locks, which are operated 24 hours a day. It needs frequent dredging to keep the access channel from the sea to the locks open and deep enough for vessels. The local RNLI lifeboat has its own mooring there. The entrance is beside Martello Tower No.66. All the harbours (Inner, South, West and North) are artificial and were dredged one after the other, after 1991. Behind the locks is the main marina called Inner Harbour. This is the central body of water and was the first harbour in use. It contains berths for both visiting and resident berth holders, and provides access to the other three harbours via lifting…