Work starts on layby at old harbour
Another phase in the development of Riverside’s Old Harbour Park got underway this week.
A layby is being created nearby to improve access to the park and the pontoon which was installed last year as part of a bid to boost use of the River Forth.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said the work was likely to take between three and five weeks to complete, and added: “These improvements will create a layby close to the harbour to accommodate disabled parking, and help further progress our plans to make the River Forth a key feature for the city.”
Officials said the plan to create a layby followed talks with the community to identify and meet the needs of our residents.
The spokesperson said the £270,000 development of the pontoon was a City Region Deal poroject and “an important step in bringing about the rejuvenation of the River Forth”.
He added: “We want to encourage integration with the river and the new dropoff and disabled parking will open up access to a wider range of people.”
It is hoped the 35-metre river pontoon and other planned pontoons will provide berthing facilities for tourist boats and water taxis and help the city make more of its waterfront.
Work at the park costing £500,000 to shore up a 50-metre section of harbour wall – which collapsed in January, 2016, following months of heavy rain and swollen river levels – was completed in October, 2017.
Stirling was once a bustling port as well as a shipbuilding centre. In the 16th century it was valued as one of Scotland’s most important landing places but the opening of ports downstream such as Grangemouth and the increasing size of ships, which struggled to sail up the narrower reaches of the Forth, meant the town had lost nearly all its maritime trade by the 1920s.
During the 19th and early 20th century, pleasure steamers and various vessels still sailed up to Stirling. During the Second World War, all Scotland’s tea came in through the port. However, the last cargo ship arrived in the 1950s.
The pontoon project was funded by £117,000 from the council and the remaining £153,000 awarded through the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of the UK and Scottish governments.