The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) has approved a grant of £2.4 million to be used towards the regeneration of Southwold Harbour in East Suffolk. Waveney District Council recently undertook preliminary investigations at the harbour and work on the £2.4 million project is scheduled to start in September 2011.
The release state that the harbour development project is being partly funded through a £1.2 million grant from the EFF and Marine Management Organisation. The project is expected to take nine months to complete and will see the creation of a new 278-metre quay wall and 16 additional mooring opportunities. It will also make use of the surrounding land with the construction of a fish landing and cold storage.
This project would improve help the local fishing fleet to improve the quality and price of their catch which may in turn attract other vessels to the port. The project, which is one of the largest to have been funded so far by the EFF in England, will also help to safeguard 41 jobs. David Gallagher, Head of Customer Services and Commercial Partnerships for Waveney District Council, said that the old harbour wall, which was in a bad state, was likely to have failed by 2013. If this were allowed to happen existing commercial and recreational activity in the harbour would be would significantly affected.
