Falmouth Harbour is inviting the community and its customers to learn about and contribute to a possible new vision for the future of the Harbour. An all-encompassing masterplan sets out how the area could evolve over the next 20 years, showcasing a Large Vessel Pontoon as part of a plan to maintain the vibrancy and services of Falmouth Harbour.
This current study, part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, allocated through Cornwall Council’s Town Regeneration and Investment Programme (TRIP), which is part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, will be shared at drop-in briefings on 2nd and 3rd December as the team starts to explore options.
The Harbour “vision” has been shaped in the context of the wider developments in the town, including the proposed preparation of Falmouth Docks for Floating Offshore Wind, as well as non-maritime developments.
Miles Carden, CEO of Falmouth Harbour, says, “We have a responsibility to safeguard the future of the Harbour and our role is to ensure that Falmouth Harbour continues to be a secure and prosperous environment for our team, local businesses, the community, and wildlife.
“We know the Harbour is intrinsic to what makes Falmouth such a special place, from wellbeing for local communities to the visitor and marine economies. A primary focus of this project will be to stimulate economic activity and help create marine-related employment and skills opportunities within the town.
“The vision and masterplan for Falmouth Harbour starts to look at how we need to evolve, how we grasp new opportunities such as offshore renewables, to meet the needs of current and future generations of Harbour users. It’s very early in the process, but we’re keen to hear from our customers and local people as we start taking the first steps exploring the feasibility of future developments.”
Among the future ideas for Falmouth Harbour is the concept of a 100m long Commercial Pontoon which could be used for a variety of vessels such as offshore vessels for marine renewables, large maritime events such as Tall Ships and superyachts, providing a link to facilities and services directly connected into the heart of the town.
Falmouth Harbour’s Commercial Operations Manager Tristan Rowe says, “We presented all the Harbour’s available assets on shore and water to a team of specialists to identify potential areas of development for the future. Amongst the ideas was a walk-ashore pontoon for much larger vessels than we can currently provide for, but which regularly request this service.
“We’ve used this opportunity for a funded study to discover what this facility might look like and what would be required to make it happen. The most exciting part of this is engaging as many people as possible in the Falmouth area and across all walks of life at this very early stage, to see these ideas first hand and provide a real impact on how we proceed as a Harbour.”
Falmouth is an Independent Statutory Harbour with responsibility for management, maintenance and improvements to the facilities and services. As a Trust Port, Falmouth Harbour has been entrusted on behalf of local stakeholders with one of the most special, sensitive marine environments in the UK and an incredible asset for Cornwall.
The Harbour organisation has no shareholders and is accountable to the local community. All surpluses are reinvested in the Harbour for the benefit of present and future generations of users. The Harbour’s income is primarily made up from dues received from commercial shipping, charges for the provision of leisure facilities and the provision of pilotage.
The ideas in the masterplan for Falmouth Harbour have been developed in the context of other activity taking place in Falmouth. The vision aims to maintain the harbour’s strategic importance to both Falmouth’s visitor and marine economies, as well as the leisure time of the local community.
Harbour customers and local communities are invited to drop-in briefings on the proposed masterplan and ideas for the future of the Harbour on 2 December from 3pm – 7:30pm and 3 December from 10 – 12pm in the Falmouth Harbour offices, Grove Place.
Information on the vision and the link to the survey are also available online from the 28th November www.falmouthharbour.co.uk/future-harbour
