£25m marina for Poole Quay 'could be tourist attraction' (From Thisisdorset)
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£25m marina for Poole Quay 'could be tourist attraction'
9:19am Thursday 27th September 2012 in Latest By Diana Henderson
Poole Quay
A £25M marina could change the face of Poole Quay and be a tourist attraction in its own right.
A seaward extension to the Poole Quay Boat Haven has emerged as the preferred option of Poole Harbour Commissioners following an independent strategic environmental assessment.
Controversial proposals for a 900-berth marina in front of Hamworthy Park came off second best but with a further six weeks of consultation just beginning, are not yet dead in the water.
However the commissioners’ preferred options now include a Quay-based marine centre which could include berths for super-yachts and a venue for major events including tall ships festivals and superyacht events, a harbour walkway and new visitor attraction.
“Looking at all of these issues it clearly emerged that the environmental impact is greater with the Hamworthy option than the Poole Quay Boat Haven extension,” said chief executive Jim Stewart.
A year’s consultation which included more than 60 meetings with residents and groups also pointed in that direction.
“Yes, we want to go ahead with all of the different options relating to the port development and the Poole Quay Boat Haven extension is now our preferred option,” he said.
Design work has yet to be carried out, however the proposal includes a car park on the port with a water taxi taking owners to their boats.
While the commissioners will now be consulting on the second version of their Master Plan, they are not completely ruling out their first option of a marina at Hamworthy.
The newly-launched consultation extends to November 6 and will include presentations and meetings. The plan and assessment are available on phc.co.uk.
- PLANS for a massive 950-berth marina, set 200 metres offshore from Hamworthy Park were revealed by harbour commissioners in February 2011 and almost immediately condemned by residents and park users, including windsurfers.
Despite PHC chairman Richard Lacey pledging that “not one blade of grass” of Hamworthy Park would be touched, residents were not placated.
The plan involved a new home for Poole Yacht Club, which also proved contentious.
In September 2011 an alternative to Hamworthy, an extension to the PHC-owned quay boat haven was put forward by commissioners. This is now the preferred option.
‘There was no virtue in Hamworthy option’
“I AM delighted they have picked the Poole Quay option,” said Bruce Grant-Braham, chairman of Poole Tourism Partnership, pictured far left, who said he had supported it all the way along.
He said: “There are statistics that every yachtie spends something like £70 per head in a visiting port per night and the potential advantage to Poole and Poole restaurants and shops are enormous.”
Windsurfer Mike Barnett, left, whose Drop A Piano on the Hamworthy marina petition attracted over 1,000 signatures said it was “brilliant” news.
“There is absolutely no virtue in the Hamworthy option,” he said.
“It always appeared to be a completely ridiculous choice because there are so many problems that would be likely to be caused by it.”
Comments(22)
dogsoftheworld
says...
10:05am Thu 27 Sep 12
wonderway
says...
10:05am Thu 27 Sep 12
jobsworthwatch wrote:easy way is dig out lower gardens remove pier approach and turn lower gardens into a marina
Wonder if BBC have noticed that our town is sandwiched between harbours that are absolutely rammed with pleasure craft. Have they also noticed that these craft venture out into Poole bay but the occupants can't come ashore at Bournemouth without getting their feet wet! Something similar in place of the pier could be quite a tourist attraction for Bournemouth too.
thevisitor
says...
1:36pm Thu 27 Sep 12
bornINpoole69
says...
3:10pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Morrigan
says...
3:41pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Poole Quay is the perfect place for a marina - not least of all because the water is deeper there than at Ham Park, so it will save an enormous amount of damage to the sea bed from dredging to make it deeper at Hamworthy.
I'm not sure that bringing yacht's to Poole will necessarily bring in more money to the town in general though ..... there would have to be something worth stepping ashore for in my opinion and sadly Poole lacks quality family entertainment, not to mention it's loss of character and charm over the years .....
Reader Echo
says...
4:12pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Coupled with the natural view being lost and the stupid water taxi idea it just seems like vandalism to the environment and commercial money making greed to me.
As a local person I very much hope that it will not happen as Poole is rapidly being destroyed by incompetent idiots.
hamuser
says...
8:10pm Thu 27 Sep 12
oh curly girl
says...
11:49pm Thu 27 Sep 12
Yankee1
says...
12:01am Fri 28 Sep 12
b26b
says...
6:24am Fri 28 Sep 12
pete woodley
says...
9:09am Fri 28 Sep 12
bornINpoole69
says...
10:01am Fri 28 Sep 12
pete woodley wrote:Morning Pete - I do not agree. Tesco express are doing very well and so are the pubs and restaurants on the quay. If the "improved quality" visitor wants
Lets seal off the quay,and put signs up stating "boat owners only".Reader Echo is right,the views for the locals and visitors would be spoilt.No way do the boat lot spend a lot of money in local shops.
" improved quality" restaurants etc then they can jump in a taxi - more revenue for the area! They might even go to Bournemouth!
Have a good day.
Finbarr Finkelstein
says...
11:53am Fri 28 Sep 12
b26b wrote:Touch of the green eyed monster my friend?
How is a Marina a tourist attraction? Why do I want reminders of greed and excess in the form of wood, plastic and glass rammed down my throat?
pete woodley
says...
9:53pm Fri 28 Sep 12
bornINpoole69 wrote:Nice to hear from someone born in Poole like me.
pete woodley wrote:Morning Pete - I do not agree. Tesco express are doing very well and so are the pubs and restaurants on the quay. If the "improved quality" visitor wants
Lets seal off the quay,and put signs up stating "boat owners only".Reader Echo is right,the views for the locals and visitors would be spoilt.No way do the boat lot spend a lot of money in local shops.
" improved quality" restaurants etc then they can jump in a taxi - more revenue for the area! They might even go to Bournemouth!
Have a good day.
jobsworthwatch
says...
5:48am Sat 29 Sep 12
wonderway wrote:Put that idea forward over a year ago, it was suggested at the time by another contributor that perhaps more than just the lower gardens should be flooded. Ideally the area to be flooded should take in the Town Hall too!
jobsworthwatch wrote: Wonder if BBC have noticed that our town is sandwiched between harbours that are absolutely rammed with pleasure craft. Have they also noticed that these craft venture out into Poole bay but the occupants can't come ashore at Bournemouth without getting their feet wet! Something similar in place of the pier could be quite a tourist attraction for Bournemouth too.easy way is dig out lower gardens remove pier approach and turn lower gardens into a marina
live-and-let-live
says...
12:15pm Sat 29 Sep 12
BIGTONE
says...
12:29pm Sat 29 Sep 12
"Could be"
Then again!
Jak Branksome
says...
2:28am Mon 1 Oct 12
I propose demolishing drake court and the other council properties...move the tenants to creek more and build quality housing on the site....still Poole is a working port and you get all the "all night" noise associated with it. No one with any influence reads these rants anyway....prove it to me if they do.
whodathawtit
says...
1:47pm Tue 2 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
9:57pm Tue 2 Oct 12
Jak Branksome wrote:I was born and bred in branksome,right by gas works,and i cant remember any local having a yacht,you must have been a new boy.Not a real local.
20 years ago i moored my yacht at west quay...there was then an acute shortage of marina berths..Tho I live at branksome...(gas works end...not woods) i did spend money in the local old high street shops...ma dibbens etc before tesco and sainsbury...also used the old town restaurants and got **** in the jolly and the other pubs..why do people get so worked up about marinas?
I propose demolishing drake court and the other council properties...move the tenants to creek more and build quality housing on the site....still Poole is a working port and you get all the "all night" noise associated with it. No one with any influence reads these rants anyway....prove it to me if they do.
pooleboater
says...
11:48am Thu 4 Oct 12
whodathawtit wrote:PHC's marinas offer some of the best facilities for visiting yachts in the Harbour. The marinas have recently been awarded with the '5 Gold Anchor Award' from 'The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA)' The award is very simmilar to the star ratings for hotels. Both of PHC's marinas were awarded their anchors in January this year and considering one of them had only been open for less than a year, that's pretty good going. There are only a select few marinas in the world that hold this award. I am sure that Jim Stewart and his marina Manager and his staff will do a good job at forming the marina when the time comes, remembering of course that the plans are only in the second consultation stage and still have a long way to go before anything is confirmed.
If this option is the best can we trust PHC to do a good job? Experiences so far would suggest not, the existing marinas lack good facilities and are not viewed by the boaters as good. Do we need a large company like MDL to assist after all they are one of the largest marina chains in the country and have the practical experience required to deliver a sound project, after all PHC may lack the total investment needed as they only made an operating profit last year of 600,000 falling ferry revenues need to. Be replaced will cruise ships help, all the people on these ships just look at the tourist bits they don't eat out as it is free on the cruise liner. Boating is getting harder costs are rising will it be full? We don't want a marina for the chosen few super yacht as a maritime port it should be for the masses.
jobsworthwatch says...
9:56am Thu 27 Sep 12