Latest news with #PerthHarbourBoard
The Courier
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Perth Harbour closure saga costs taxpayers £600k, claims top councillor
A senior councillor says the failed closure of Perth Harbour has cost taxpayers more than £600,000. John Duff blasted the expense as colleagues agreed a plan to end the stalemate on Wednesday. Twenty-seven months have passed since Perth and Kinross Council voted to shut Perth harbour to commercial traffic. The February 2023 decision was meant to save the council £157,000 a year. But chiefs have been unable to reach an agreement with Transport Scotland. And they have had to spend an additional £308,000 on keeping Perth Harbour open since then. Just eight boats have docked there in that time. The council's economy and infrastructure committee approved a new strategy on Wednesday. Officials will now pursue a harbour revision order (HRO), rather than a full closure order. That means Perth and Kinross Council will stay on as statutory harbour authority. But the harbour will be closed to commercial vessels over 24 metres. Mr Duff, leader of the opposition Conservative group, asked how long this was likely to take – and how much more expense the council would have to bear. 'If I'm reading this correctly, the failure to close the harbour has meant we haven't made the proposed savings totalling £314,000,' he said. 'And instead we've had to incur expenses of £308,000 in keeping the harbour open. 'Do we have an idea of what additional costs the council might incur over the next 18 months on top of the £600,000 it has already cost us?' Serge Merone, the council's strategic lead for economy, development and planning, said officers were hoping to reduce costs to around £65,000 a year. Council leader Grant Laing said he shared colleagues' frustrations. But he said the problems had arisen because no one has ever tried to close a harbour before. 'There's no framework to comply with, no legal advice to work to,' he said. Liberal-Democrat councillor Willie Robertson suggested the council should be writing to the Transport Minister to protest Transport Scotland's 'incompetence'. But others raised questions about the council's own legal advice ahead of the closure vote in February 2023. Councillors also agreed to axe Perth Harbour Board after hearing it hasn't met since November 2023. But the move sparked anger from the board's departing chairman. Bailie Chris Ahern, who is a member of the committee, claimed the board had not been told it was for the chop. And he said it did not get advance notice of the recommendation to close the harbour in 2023 either. Mr Ahern said the board's demise poses questions over who will take on its responsibilities. He claimed a jet-ski was involved in a near-miss with another river user last week, and said this was one of the areas where the board had been working to keep people safe.
The Courier
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
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.
