Introduction to economic and social impact of dockyard and shipyard closures & heritage renewal: Lessons to be learned: Naval Dockyards Society 2023 Conference, Transactions 18

Such diverse presentations reflected this topic’s complexity and significance, from widening NDS perspectives by highlighting unknown and remarkable
British overseas dockyards, to regeneration case studies of British, French and Croatian dockyards and shipyards. Inclusion of commercial docks as core NDS business was represented by the ongoing renewal of Grimsby fishing port. Dockyards and shipyards are connected historically and currently through function, material culture and personnel. The two final papers contrasted differing approaches in funding conservation of dock structures and communities in the late twentieth century and the twenty-first century. It was satisfying to witness a turnaround of Grimsby’s Kasbah after the NDS had highlighted the derelict state of the Ice Factory in 2018 but noted improvements in 2022 and 2023.