THE Barrow skyline is set to be transformed after an ambitious plan to reclad the entire Devonshire Dock Hall was given the green light.
BAE Systems submitted a planning application to Barrow Borough Council to reclad the DDH as the 'existing exterior has exceeded its intended design life'.
The DDH was built in 1986 and town hall bosses recognised the current beige exterior was 'dated' and 'at the end of its commercial life'.
The new cladding will add a 25-year extension to the exterior.
The plans also reveal new rooftop windows will be added in order to increase the amount of natural light inside the DDH.
Planning officers recognised that the DDH was 'a landmark building which is visible for several miles' and 'urged caution on the level of translucent materials in order to minimise light pollution'.
Construction work for the recladding will involve 17 two-way HGV journeys a day for the first five years.
Engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV is behind the plans.
The Netherlands-based company has more than 70 years’ experience of planning, engineering and procuring successful shipyards across the globe.
BAE Systems confirmed the plans had been approved but a spokesman said no official start date had been agreed for the work.
However, plans do reveal the work is hoped to start in 2021 and will take six years to be completed.
The DDH was built in 1986 and is the second largest indoor shipbuilding facility in Europe.
The building is 51 metres high and 260 metres long and covers 25,000 square metres.
The re-cladding will bring the DDH in line with the shipyard's other newly-constructed projects with a shared colour scheme.
The plans reveal that although the light emitted from the building will be greater than before, through the use of translucent panels to increase natural light, it is deemed to not detrimentally impact on any viewpoint.
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