AN artist's impression has been released of a proposed new shipyard training facility in Barrow.

Councillors have given the company planning permission to build the structure, which it calls a "centralised training facility" designed to educate the staff who will work on the Successor submarine programme.

The next step for the company will be to get full approval from all of the organisations involved in the submarine programme for construction to go ahead.

A spokeswoman from BAE Systems Submarines said: “This is a positive step forward.

"No final decision has been made but this is part of our future plans.”

She also pointed out that this would not affect the company's relationship with Furness College and other local training organisations but was designed to be a complement these.

This development is set to be predominantly used by BAE Systems' apprentices, who will begin attending it after a year of study at Furness College and be trained there for three months.

They will not be the only users though as new staff joining the company will also received their training there, as will the existing staff who need to update their knowledge.

It is set to be built off Buccleuch Dock Road and will be part one-storey and part two-storey, with craft workshops, teaching areas a canteen and support rooms. The site is currently occupied by a temporary car park and, one small building and three temporary structures, which will be demolished.

The proposed new facility has been designed by UK-based property consultancy McBains Cooper. McBains Cooper secured the project via competitive interview last year.

McBains Cooper director Mark Leeson said: “We’re delighted to have won BAE Systems as a new client and that planning permission has been granted.

"It’s been a very complex process to design this state of the art building and has required a great deal of in-depth stakeholder consultation to deliver a solution that meets BAE Systems' very specific requirements."