Decision soon on way forward for Ardrossan
A clear strategy on the way forward for the redevelopment of Ardrossan harbour should be in place by the end of the month, according to the Arran Economic Group annual report.
The Ardrossan habour taskforce met several times in 2017, under the auspices of the Scottish transport ministers’ office, to consider several options designed to improve the reliability of the Arran ferry service in adverse weather.
This was driven from early simulation results which indicated that the new vessel for the route, the MV
Glen Sannox, may not provide the same reliability as the current vessel the MV Caledonian Isles.
Two variations
Following extensive discussions with CalMac, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, Transport Scotland, Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council these have been reduced to two variations of a proposal to re-align the berth to provide an improved turn in and extend the length to accommodate longer vessels if required in future.
These proposal variations are currently being examined further on the simulators to confirm which provides best service and value for money. The results of these are expected to be prepared for submission to the transport minister Humza Yousaf prior to Easter.
This work will also include a review, with attention to the requirement to retain the current timetable for the service.
It was confirmed all options being considered required a new linkspan. Timescales cannot be given currently because of the ongoing work, but it was felt a clear way forward should be evident by the end of March to allow a decision from the minister to be made following the Easter break. Until the decision is made on the berth, the final plans and layouts for the passenger access accommodation and port side facilities cannot be completed. A project management team will be appointed to take the programme forward on conclusion of the review.
In another recent development, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has committed £200,000 from its 2018-19 capital budget to the £15.5 million Ardrossan harbour interchange project.