Peel Ports pledges ‘biggest investment’ following win
The intervention of Troon helped forge a closer working relationship with Ardrossan harbour owner Peel Ports, the Arran Economic Group (AEG) said this week.
There has long been criticism of Peel Ports being unwilling to listen to demands for improvements at Ardrossan. But this week it pledged that it is now able to start on the biggest investment programme the harbour has seen in recent years.
The AEG, which has backed Ardrossan from the start, was among the first to welcome the government decision which had been expected after a STAG review came out heavily in favour of Ardrossan over its rival Troon.
The AEG praised the ‘thorough community consultation exercise’ which, it says, helped forged a closer working relationship with Peel Ports, which will be developed further to ensure the communities of Arran and Ardrossan are at the forefront of all planned activity.
It also says it helped connect the communities of Arran and Ardrossan.
This will be further improved by the inclusion of an Arran representative on the Ardrossan harbour redevelopment team.
Chairman Tom Tracey said: ‘It also focused attention on both Arran and Ardrossan, and their needs for different types of development and support. Arran`s priority is low-cost housing to support economic growth and the long-term viability of the island community. Ardrossan needs economic stimulus to support the existing population.
‘Taken together, both will benefit from a successful implementation of the Ayrshire Coastal Growth Deal.’
Peel Ports has pledged a £15 million investment at Ardrossan on a new integrated ferry, road and rail terminal by 2018.
Harbour programme director Doug Coleman has been invited to outline the details of the project to the Arran Ferry Committee on Monday May 8.
Mr Coleman said: ‘We were always convinced that the benefits of retaining the ferry service on the shortest, fastest and cheapest route were overwhelming.
‘Now that we have been given a long-term commitment by the Scottish Government, we are able to start on the biggest investment programme Ardrossan harbour has seen in recent years.
‘The new passenger and marine infrastructure – combined with the new £48.5 million ferry, which will come into service in the autumn of next year – will be of enormous benefit to the people of Arran and Kintyre, and to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who use the ferry service each year.
‘From my many meetings with local people and other ferry users over the past few months, they have enthusiastically backed retaining the ferry on its traditional route, but they also made it clear that they wanted major investment in Ardrossan to meet the standard of the new vessel. That’s what we’re now going to deliver.’
North Ayrshire Council chief executive Elma Murray added: ‘The council and Peel Ports will now work towards delivering what we promised during the campaign – a major £15 million redevelopment of the Ardrossan ferry terminal and marine infrastructure to service the route for the next 30 years.
‘The announcement will ensure that the residents of Arran and Kintyre get the world-class ferry service they deserve. It will also unlock more than £100 million of investment the wider regeneration of Ardrossan.’
Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer said: ‘Now that the future of the ferry in Ardrossan is secure, it’s time to keep pushing for improvements to the port and the service.’
West of Scotland Conservative MSP Jamie Greene said: ‘A number of constituents had raised concerns with me over issues with the current ferry service.
‘It now falls on the operators to ensure that we iron out these issues and make the ferry service even better going forward.
‘Let it serve as a warning that nothing can be taken for granted and that people on Arran and on the mainland expect the very best from us all.’
Bill McIntosh, leader of South Ayrshire Council, added: ‘We’re disappointed by the decision not to relocate the ferry to Troon – a move I believe would have delivered a more reliable service at no cost to the public purse, with the improvements to the terminal met entirely with private money.
‘However, from the outset, we have maintained that we would accept the report’s recommendations and, with the decision now made, that is what we will do.’