27-05-2025
Council spends six-figure sum keeping Perth harbour open for TWO boats
Council bosses spent a six-figure sum keeping Perth Harbour open for just two boats last year.
Only one vessel docked there in April 2024, followed by one more in November 2024.
However, the cost for maintaining Perth Harbour is expected to slice £100,000 out of Perth and Kinross Council's budget for 2024/25.
That's on top of a £208,000 net expenditure for the previous 12 months to March 2024.
The £300,000-plus bill follows a decision to close the harbour in February 2023.
The move was intended to save the council £157,000 a year.
But the legal process has been beset by difficulties and delays.
And now councillors are being asked to agree to a Plan B.
That would see Perth Harbour stay open in a reduced capacity while plans to turn it into a visitor destination are drawn up.
Transport Scotland has proposed a harbour revision order (HRO), rather than the full closure order which has proved so problematic.
That would mean Perth and Kinross Council stays on as statutory harbour authority.
However, it would close the harbour to commercial vessels over 24 metres.
It would also allow the council to pursue its goal of creating a new 'Harbour Quarter'.
A report for councillors says this could include a mix of 'outdoor tourism-led and water-based activities, micro and small businesses, and community facilities'.
In addition, 'a new bridge would connect the Harbour to Moncreiffe Island and an opportunity for people to engage with nature, to connect with greenspaces and to use active travel to travel to and from the city centre.'
The harbour revision order will be considered by Perth and Kinross Council's economy and infrastructure committee on Wednesday.
This arrangement is forecast to cost the council around £65,000 a year.
The sum includes the wages of a harbourmaster, as well as requirements like oil spill cover and safety equipment maintenance.
But while the proposed solution would be cheaper than the existing position, councillors are being warned it won't be a quick fix.
The report to Wednesday's committee states: 'The HRO process is likely to be simpler and more manageable for us, but also facilitates future leisure activities and allows the council to retain the necessary powers at the harbour.
'This process could still take six-18 months to complete depending on the results of the consultation.'
The move would also see Perth Harbour Board disbanded.
The council tried to find another operator to take on the loss-making harbour following the February 2023 closure decision.
But the chosen bidder later pulled out.
It did, however, manage to sell the Fair Maid tugboat for £500,000.
The Courier previously reported that just six boats used Perth Harbour between February 2023 and March 2024.
Another report on the Harbour Quarter plans is expected to go to councillors in September.
They are part of a wider City Centre Development and Design Framework, which proposes a range of large-scale projects for Perth.
The council has been consulting the public on the draft document, which also proposes the part-demolition of the St John's Shopping Centre.
