Plans have been revealed for a £16m (US$24m, €22m) redevelopment of a 19th century fort on England’s southern coast in the county of Devon to become a visitor attraction and complex of flats.

Fort Bovisand was built in 1845 on the mainland to defend the entrance of the Plymouth Sound. Sitting beside Bovisand Harbour, the fort remained an active defence unit through the Napoleonic War and both World Wars before being abandoned by the Ministry of Defence in 1956.

The proposal by ADP Architecture, which includes a visitors interpretation centre, a learning hub with outdoor and indoor spaces and a temporary exhibition space for themed displays, will also feature a number of flats to cover development costs. In addition, the fort will become a hub for water-based activities such as diving and surfing.

A public consultation is now underway for the plans, with two sessions having taken place at the start of the month. The attraction part of the development will be part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which in 2013 granted £350,000 (US$531,000, €479,000) to “help bring the fort's history to life".

A spokesperson told AM2: ”We are now involved in detailed development stage leading to our Round 2 HLF submission and full planning application early in 2015. We have engaged key specialists – the architect, surveyors and designers – who will bring the interpretation element of the heritage area and the public spaces to life.”

To be delivered by the Fort Bovisand Trust and Fort Bovisand Developments, redevelopment work is scheduled to start in Q1 2016, with the aim of opening for the first time in 2018.