Weston Mill Lake – the New Landing Craft Base – the new £25m facility for landing craft at Weston Mill Lake (Devonport) is near completion.     When it is finished at the end of the 2012 two units will move there :-

·         539 Assault Squadron RM (Turnchapel)

 and its feeder unit,

·         10 Landing Craft Training Squadron RM (Poole)

Come 2013, the Royal Marines will consolidate the core of their amphibious assault forces on the lake at the northern end of Devonport Naval Base, and what was once 'frigate alley'.      Weston Mill Lake will become 'landing craft, hovercraft, RIB and ORC alley' – ie: Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) raft (ORC).

To accommodate the impending arrivals considerable work has been carried out.   Some 25,000 cubic metres of material have been dredged from the lake and area around Wilson's Beach at the eastern end.    The lake will house a marina with a network of pontoons for various craft, while a finger jetty will extend into the harbour with a 200 tonne boat-lift to raise both types of landing craft (the smaller 'vehicle/personnel' and the larger 'utility', which can carry a CHALLENGER 2 tank) out of the water.    At Wilson's Beach, a drab, muddy bit of rocky shore, a slipway is being built to allow the commandos' hovercraft - officially the LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) - to enter and leave the harbour safely.       The lift and slipway will lead to an area of hardstanding for boats (roughly on the site of the old helipad, which has now transferred to RALEIGH across the Hamoaze) and will be just a short distance from the large engineering workshop, the largest building being constructed as part of the relocation of the two Squadrons.