Transport Secretary convenes Ardrossan Harbour Taskforce

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop and Leader of North Ayrshire Council Cllr Marie Burns co-chaired the latest meeting of the Ardrossan Taskforce (17 April).

Forming an essential part of a series of stakeholder engagements undertaken by the Cabinet Secretary in Arran, the Taskforce heard first-hand feedback from the project partners on the port purchase option.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said:

“I was pleased to co-chair the latest meeting of the Taskforce and wish to sincerely thank all members for their attendance and constructive engagement during the meeting. This Government remains fully committed to the future of Ardrossan Harbour and as discussions progress it is still our intention to utilise the funding for a potential purchase from our 2025/26 budget.

“The input of key project and community stakeholders is of significant value as we make progress on finding a solution at Ardrossan that can be delivered cost-effectively. I recognise the desire from the local community to understand when works on Ardrossan Harbour will begin and what those works will be and how they will be scheduled but such a timeline can only be reasonably established and published on actual purchase and transfer of control of the port.

“There is a requirement for due diligence and agreement of terms between Peel Ports Group and CMAL before any change of ownership could be confirmed. These negotiations are still ongoing, and all parties continue to act in good faith.

“In addition to the Taskforce, I also met with the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee and brought together a roundtable of key stakeholders in Ardrossan where I reaffirmed our intention that when the MV Caledonian Isles returns to service, now expected at the end of May 2025, she will operate out of Ardrossan.

“On my journey to Arran, I had the opportunity to sail on the MV Glen Sannox and saw first-hand the improved resilience and reliability to the main Arran route. We look forward to further benefits across the ferry network in future years as more new vessels and investment in port infrastructure is progressed.”