£115m cost puts major marina redevelopment on hold

Plans for a major redevelopment of a harbour in East Yorkshire have been put on hold because they are too expensive, the local council has said.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Bridlington Harbour Commissioners say they have agreed to continue working together to explore a revised proposal within the town’s harbour area after recent feasibility work – undertaken by Arup – concluded that the current financial climate would mean that initial proposals for the Yorkshire Harbour and Marina Project in Bridlington “would not be commercially viable.”

The council had identified a preferred option for the scheme, which would have seen the commercial fishing fleet stay in the existing harbour and a new outer pier constructed to berth leisure craft in a new marina.

However, this option had a projected cost of around £115m, including costs and contingency, which would have required a substantial amount of external funding to be secured.

It would have involved £75m for the new marina but would have also required around £40m being spent updating the existing harbour infrastructure.

The council said the news was “extremely disappointing” for both organisations, which have been working together since 2015 to try and bring the larger project forward.

CllrStephen Parnaby, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Working together, the council and Bridlington Harbour Commissioners have advanced plans for the Yorkshire Harbour and Marina Project to a stage never achieved before.

“It is with a heavy heart that the decision has had to be made to put this game-changing project on hold.

“Throughout the process, the council and the commissioners have always looked at developing a scheme that was affordable, workable and deliverable.

“Unfortunately, due to the current financial climate and the information supplied by Arup, indications are that the scheme would be unaffordable.

“However, too much progress has been made in recent years for us to sit and dwell on this disappointing news, so the council and the commissioners have decided to seize the opportunity and look at other ways in which we can work together to help regenerate this important part of the town.”

Bridlington Harbour is home to the largest shellfish port in Europe and is worth more than £50m a year to the local economy.

The council said it will explore options to invest in the harbour infrastructure to modernise facilities for the fishing fleet and potentially create additional berths for leisure craft in an in-harbour development. The environment around the harbour will also be looked at to attract private sector investment.

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