Future looks good for Southwold harbour
THE concrete walls of Southwold harbour may be showing signs of wear and tear, but its future management is finally starting to look more secure now that a loan has been secured to help set up an ownership trust.
THE concrete walls of Southwold harbour may be showing signs of wear and tear, but its future management is finally starting to look more secure now that a loan has been secured to help set up an ownership trust.
The harbour has been the subject of an ownership dispute for years and last year, Waveney District Council, which has run the facility since the 1970s, agreed to start the process to get it signed back over to the town.
The Southwold Harbour Lands Trust has been set up to take over the management of the site - along with the nearby car park and camping and caravan site - when they are handed back to the town some time next year.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, Southwold Town Council agreed to make a �25,000 loan to cover part of the legal and administrative costs of getting the trust up and running.
Harbour Lands Trust chairman Alan Davies told the council that the trustees have also requested the same amount of money from Waveney District Council and has secured �10,000 from two other local groups.
He said: 'Our vision is for a harbour undertaking to be proud of, with assets which are fit for purpose, encompassing a new harbour wall, caravan site of a good standard and other assets which are fit for purpose. Southwold Town Council's �25,000 contribution will go a long way to achieving this.'
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Deputy town mayor Teresa Baggott said: 'Anyone who has run a business knows that you need some working capital to get it up and running before you can get any money back. At this point in time, nothing is going to move forward unless we take a lead on this.'
Sections of the wall, which protects a caravan park, businesses and roads leading into Southwold from flooding, have been crumbling and falling into the water in recent months.
Waveney District Council has already budgeted to find money to cover the repair work, which could cost up to �3.4m.
A spokesman for Waveney District Council said that the council is hoping to help to get the Southwold Harbour Lands Trust set up.
She said: 'Waveney District Council is looking at options for providing some additional funding for legal fees, but due to its current financial position, we are unable to confirm anything at the moment.'
