Campbeltown marina upgrade now complete - Official opening on Saturday 27th June
Argyll and Bute Council’s Campbeltown Berthing Facility project is now complete, with the newly upgraded marina set to be officially opened this Saturday, 27th June.
Extensive works were involved in the creation of the new marina, including the dredging of the basin area north of the previous pontoon facility to allow for an extended basin area. There is a new access bridge from the Quay to the fully piled pontoons and the new U shape of the pontoons allows for a more flexible berthing arrangement.
Chair of the local area committee, South Kintyre Councillor Rory Colville, said of the project: ‘’I am delighted that the new marina is up and running on time and within budget. These are great improvements which have the potential to improve the tourism offer for both Campbeltown and the wider Kintyre area and provide a huge boost to the local economy, with an economic impact assessment (EIA) estimating the new facility to be worth around £300,000 per annum.
‘’This has been a key project for the council and integrates well with the other regeneration projects in Campbeltown, making a contribution to the whole offer. We’ve completed a lot of work in the town centre, with more underway as we speak and even more planned with the new CARS funding and the Old Quay and Kinloch Road are now fully integrated for transporting wind turbine parts. These are exciting times for Campbeltown.’’
Recently appointed Marina Manager, Calum Lawson commented on the new facilities: ‘’I’m really looking forward to welcoming visitors to this fantastic new facility. Campbeltown is a perfect destination in a prime location for a quick stopover or longer stay and can provide everything a visitor could require. The Campbeltown and Kintyre summer programme is packed with events and festivals so please contact me any time for local information and bookings.’’
Details
The project has seen both berthing and on-shore improvements which have made the marina a more attractive sailing destination.
GSS Marine Services, of Rosneath, carried out berthing and on-shore improvement work on behalf of the council.
The new pontoon layout has a total of 54 berths – 10 at finger pontoons, 28 alongside berths and 16 additional berths by rafting – and provides a flexible layout which can accommodate larger craft.
This new layout has seen the main leg shortened to bring the berthing more in to the lee of the quay as well as the addition of an angled concrete breakwater to protect the more northerly berths.
The new on-shore facility includes male, female and family toilets and showers as part of creating a more attractive contemporary offer for yacht owners as well as resident boat users.
This represents a huge improvement to the previous facility which provided lay alongside berthing for up to 18 vessels, up to 38 when including triple rafting, which was considered as an unattractive option for many visitors , had limited capacity for larger vessels,was open to strong easterly winds and had very limited on-shore facilities.
By incorporating finger berthing, some potential berthing for larger vessels and an on-shore toilet and shower block the facility has been transformed into a small but credible transit marina that should appeal to a wide variety of visiting craft.
Visitor and long term berths are available, with prices starting at £15 a night (up to 7m) for visitors, and annual berths costing from £130 per metre. Concessions are available for local residents wishing to berth their boat in the marina.