FUNDING for required studies that would help progress multimillion-pound redevelopment plans for Kilkeel and Ardglass harbours has been approved. During an Assembly debate on capital investment in the fishing industry last week, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir confirmed that £1.47m has been secured to spend “on the environmental and technical studies that are needed to inform the outline business case for the harbour development works” at both locations.
A motion on the issue, tabled by Michelle McIlveen (DUP, Strangford), had called on the minister to “reiterate his department’s commitment to providing capital funding to redevelop Northern Ireland’s harbour infrastructure at Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie”. It also asked for the Assembly to “recognise the need to safeguard and build on the success of Northern Ireland’s fishing industry”, noted “the impact of rising input costs for many local fishermen”, and called on the UK Government to “ensure their policies, in respect of the allocation of fishing quotas and access to labour, reflect the particular needs of the fishing industry in Northern Ireland”.
Opening the debate, Miss McIlveen highlighted that the Fishing and Seafood Development Programme (FSDP), which was commissioned in 2019, had “laid out a direction of travel for significant public investment in harbour infrastructure, including plans to allocate £73m for a new harbour, the Irish Sea marine hub, at Kilkeel; £20m for deepening the approach channel at Ardglass; and £5m to develop the existing harbour and abandoned buildings in Portavogie”. She said that “such investments are essential, not simply aspirational”, and asked that Mr Muir provide an update on “when work will be undertaken to complete the relevant technical studies”. “Turning specifically to our largest fishing harbour at Kilkeel, it is well recognised that having a new economic and marine activity centre there would bring far-reaching and lasting social and economic benefits,” added the Strangford MLA. “The hub would facilitate aquaculture, leisure boating and boat repair and decommissioning, and, with a deeper approach channel, would allow larger vessels to land.” Responding to this later in the debate, the minister said that he would “continue to progress the recommendations from the FSDP to prepare an outline business case for the infrastructural improvements at Kilkeel and Ardglass harbours”. “Members may be aware that the investment proposed as part of the harbour development programme is currently estimated to cost around £120m to deliver, and that estimate was made before the recent inflationary rises,” he added. “Due to the scale of the investment and these challenging times for the public purse, there needs to be a robust and comprehensive business case to allow a final decision on the viability of such an investment to be taken. “To progress the matter, I am pleased that my department secured approval from the Department of Finance to spend £1.47m on the environmental and technical studies that are needed to inform the outline business case for the harbour development works at Kilkeel and Ardglass. “In the coming weeks, Construction and Procurement Delivery will advertise the invitation to tender for integrated consultant teams to progress those studies.” All five local MLAs made contributions to the debate in the chamber.
Colin McGrath (SDLP) – whose proposed amendment calling for “the extension of the seasonal worker route scheme to include the fishprocessing sector” was included in the final agreed motion – spoke of “the important and valuable contribution that our fishing industry makes to our local and wider community”. “Getting this opportunity to have a conversation about the infrastructure and capital investment around our ports is exceptionally important, given that there has not been a substantial investment in them in such a long time,” he said. “Also, this programme that we are talking about has been kicking about for quite a number of years, and there is a lot of uncertainty in the sector as it tries to get the information about where we are.” Cathy Mason (Sinn Féin) stated that “our fishing industry plays not just a vital economic role but an important cultural and historical one”. “I commend those who tabled the motion for acknowledging the strain that rising costs are putting on the industry, and I echo their call for longneeded harbour infrastructure improvements at Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie to ensure long-term sustainability and a bright future for our fishing industry and heritage,” she added. Her party colleague, Sinéad Ennis, told the chamber that “our fishing industry is a key part of our society”, and that “the harbours in Kilkeel and Ardglass are the heartbeat of those communities, and are economic engines for South Down”. “We welcome the calls around the chamber for continued investment in the harbours at Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie,” she said. “Investment in the regeneration of our harbours and fishing industry is vital to develop, protect and sustain our coastal and rural communities in south Down. “It will help to modernise and build more efficient fishing operations that will grow in the future. “I urge the minister to prioritise investment for Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie harbours, and to deliver the funding needed to upgrade our harbours in South Down.”
Diane Forsythe (DUP) welcomed the motion, and highlighted that, growing up, her experience was that the fishing industry and harbour in Kilkeel “formed the heart of our town”. “The crews on fishing boats, large and small, worked so hard throughout the year, often through extreme weather and the difficult process of professionally navigating the Kilkeel pier,” she stated. “It is not just the fishermen but the entire harbour community that supports the fishing industry and benefits from investment in it, including a number of fish factories, fish markets and shops, as well as the local seafood cookery school and successful boat-building businesses. “We need to secure investment. “We want to see the local fishing industry being in a position to take advantage of new fishing opportunities.”
Patrick Brown (Alliance) said that “we must recognise the need to safeguard and build our fishing industry in Northern Ireland”. “The FSDP represents a huge opportunity for those three harbours, which collectively generate an annual turnover of £135m, support 1,550 jobs, and produce an estimated gross value added of £55.5m per annum for the Northern Ireland economy. “The capital investment outlined in the FSDP will significantly boost that economic dividend, with ambitious plans to expand and deepen Kilkeel Harbour, creating an Irish Sea marine hub that will offer expertise in vessel repair and offshore services. “Growing the capacity of Ardglass Harbour will secure the vital fishing and processing industries there, and investment in Portavogie will help it to maintain its fishing industry and explore blue economy opportunities.”