THE projected cost of a modernisation programme for Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie harbours has rocketed from £98m to £143m.
This was confirmed in the Assembly last week by DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) Minister Andrew Muir, who also said that he has asked his officials to “consider alternative options that provide investment on a scale that is affordable”.
The Fishing and Seafood Development Programme was launched by former DAERA Minister Edwin Poots in May 2021, and its then £98m budget included a £73m rejuvenation of Kilkeel Harbour, a £20m upgrade of Ardglass Harbour and a £5m investment in Portavogie Harbour.
The £45m cost increase was revealed during a Stormont debate on fishing industry pressures, which was brought to the chamber by South Down MLA Cathy Mason last Tuesday (26 November).
Beginning the discussion, the Sinn Féin representative said that she hoped that “the message that comes out of the debate is that we must invest in our fishing industry, modernise infrastructure, improve access to funding, enhance facilities for storage and processing, and address the issues that we will raise today that put the sector under extreme pressure”.
Diane Forsythe (DUP) highlighted that the development programme had been commissioned in 2019, and that it included “landmark plans to allocate £73m for a new harbour or Irish Sea marine hub at Kilkeel, £20m to deepen the approach channel at Ardglass and £5m to develop the existing harbour and abandoned buildings at Portavogie”.
“Those costs would be significantly greater now, but the issues are clear,” she stated.
“I pass by Kilkeel Harbour every day and see the collapsing bridge over the river and the slipway.
“The lack of investment in recent years is apparent.
“It really shows, and it is affecting our fishing industry.”
The local representative also said that, in recent years, “concern has been building that the state of the facilities in our harbour estates constrains capacity and leaves Northern Ireland lagging behind other regions when it comes to harnessing new and exciting economic opportunities for the industry”.
Andrew McMurray (Alliance) spoke of the need to “upgrade the harbours so that they are fit for purpose and able to support a modern and agile fleet”.
On Ardglass, he stressed that the harbour’s physical infrastructure “needs updated, in order to address health and safety concerns, as well as to protect the structural integrity of boats”.
Colin McGrath (SDLP) stated that, following the restoration of the Assembly in February, there had been “real hope in the sector” that a new DAERA Minister would “commit to progressing” the Fishing and Seafood Development Programme, which had “stalled because of the collapse of the institutions”.
He added that, after this year’s budget allocation, it “became clear that the programme had not got its funding and would therefore have to drift a little”, and noted that Mr Muir had subsequently confirmed to him in writing that the £1.2m needed to progress the programme to the next stage would have to be sought “through in-year monitoring”.
He then asked the minister for an update on “whether we will have that £1.2 million to make progress with the programme”.
Mr Muir responded that, on visiting Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie earlier this year, he had “recognised the need for further investment in the ports, despite the extremely challenging budget position”.
“Unfortunately, the budget allocated to my department for this financial year was significantly less than the bids, and priority had to be given to meeting statutory obligations,” he continued.
“Consequently, there was, unfortunately, no additional budget to take forward new work such as the harbour development programme, where, due to recent inflationary pressures, the projected cost of delivery has increased from £98m to £143m.
“I have asked my officials to consider alternative options that provide investment on a scale that is affordable and enables the harbours to be modernised.
“That would include installing the infrastructure that will be needed to support the decarbonisation of the fishing sector and ensure that harbours are resilient to the impacts of climate change.”
The 2021 Fishing and Seafood Development Programme report emphasised an issue with capacity at Kilkeel Harbour and identified this as a key factor in holding back its future development.
It said that the harbour has “considerable constraints” – water depth, weather and tidal – in terms of access for vessels, and that it experiences overcrowding at the quayside.
“UK and Irish ports with comparable volumes and value of landings are not so constrained in terms of water depth and access,” the document read.
“Nevertheless, there is substantial economic activity from numerous seafood and fleet service businesses.
“Port capacity and available land are constraining investment and growth in the fishing and associated maritime sectors.”
The report also pointed out that Northern Ireland has a comparatively old fleet – this is mainly based in the three harbours the report focused on – which has led to a lack of reinvestment in “more efficient vessels”.
Access to Kilkeel Harbour was said to be “treacherous in certain wind directions and sea conditions”, whilst there is a problem with “overcrowding”.
“The port capacity constraints have contributed to a lack of investment in more efficient modern vessels that require more space and deeper water to operate effectively,” the report stated.
“Kilkeel requires a harbour with improved water depth to accommodate the anticipated fewer, but larger, demersal vessels and an entrance that allows safe access for these and existing demersal and inshore vessels.”
A lack of land in the town’s harbour estate was also identified, and the document stated that “the Fishing and Seafood Development Programme seeks to address this with the purchase of land to the north of the harbour”.
The report concluded that the programme would “enable Kilkeel and its cluster of maritime businesses to grow into an Irish Sea Marine Hub – a centre of excellence for seafood, vessel servicing and offshore services”.
It anticipated that, with all necessary approvals and funding in place, construction on the projects could start in 2023.
