Ardrossan or Troon ports? Views sought on options
Harbour closure will mean ferry using different berth on mainland
Arran Ferry Committee is appealing for community views on whether the ferry service should operate from the Irish berth at Ardrossan or an alternative port during the upgrading of Ardrossan harbour.
Opinions are being sought as material considerations have changed since the Ardrossan Harbour Task Force initially discussed plans.
This includes an indication in the programme that the usual Arran berth could be closed from September 2022 for a period of around 18 months, which would require the service to operate via the Irish berth.
Using the Irish berth could have the potential for disruption due to the weather, where the ferry would be diverted to Troon anyway.
It would also be affected by restrictions due to tidal limitations when the MV Isle of Arran or MV Hebridean Isles are used on the route.
Another consideration is that MV Glen Sannox could be in use on the route prior to the completion of the infrastructure works, and it cannot operate from the Irish berth. It would have to operate from an alternative mainland port, likely to be Troon.
A spokesperson from the Arran Ferry Committee said: ‘The upgrade to Ardrossan Harbour will help bring greater resilience and reliability to this vital ferry link, as well as making the experience better for passengers.
‘Our aim is to deliver as close to the current ferry service where practicable during the infrastructure works. ‘Therefore we are seeking community views as to whether the ferry service continues to operate from Ardrossan by utilising the Irish berth; or operates from an alternative mainland port, likely to be Troon port. ‘A further review of capacity utilisation and the refinement of timetables will be undertaken once community preferences are known.’
The survey is open until Friday February 12 and is, in particular, seeking opinions on whether the ferry service should operate from Troon only during the construction period, or if it should operate from two ports, which could carry a higher than usual risk of disruption and cancellation.
The Arran Ferry Committee survey is available at www. surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ AFCArdrossan and anyone that does not use social media, where results will be posted, or the internet can send an email to the Arran Ferry Committee at ace.contactus@btinternet. com by Friday February 12.