Councillor warns it’s a 'necessity' to make Ardrossan the ferry port to connect Arran with Scottish mainland

A recently-elected councillor is urging national bodies to get their heads together and ensure Ardrossan regains its status as the ferry port connecting Arran with the mainland.

Labour member Charles Currie, who won a September by-election, spoke out on Tuesday, a day after the new Glen Sannox vessel made its maiden voyage from current port Troon to Arran.

Caledonian Isles, which serves the North Ayrshire port, remains under repair.

Cllr Currie said: “While we welcome the new boat, it’s the wrong ship at the wrong port. The sooner they get an agreement to fix up Ardrossan and get back to Ardrossan, the better.

“This ship was mooted to be a green ship, and if you add the amount of fuel needed for the extra journey to Troon, it is not beneficial to the Isle of Arran or North Ayrshire.

“There are only three sailings a day as opposed to five, but you are carrying fewer cars and fewer people.

“This is down to the Scottish Government and CMal (Caledonian Maritime Assets), which own the ferries and some of the piers.

“If you look at the project Neptune and the Net Zero Committee all of them came forward and said Ardrossan should be the harbour and that there should be a review of the management of Clyde Ferries.

“This means looking at Transport Scotland, CMal and CalMac, who run the ferries. The ferry is such a vital part of Ardrossan’s economy and Arran’s economy.

“You may think three sailings a day in the winter is fine but it means people can’t get away for hospital appointments, health care staff can’t get down to the island and police and haulage companies cannot get things on and off the island. It’s adding to the travelling time. Also the transport links from Troon are not good.

“The last time CMal, CalMac and Transport Scotland were at a meeting of the Ferry Committee, each of them committed to Ardrossan so let’s get that commitment and North Ayrshire Council are very much committed to Ardrossan.

“This is gone on too long, it’s been years since the Sannox was supposed to be here and nothing has been done about this whole port.

“It will be expensive to restore Ardrossan Harbour but it is a necessity to restore it.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The successful initial entry into service of the MV Glen Sannox will bring improved resilience and reliability to the main Arran route and we can look forward to further benefits in years to come as more new vessels and investment in port infrastructure is progressed.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring the Arran ferry service is fit for the future, and to finding a solution at Ardrossan that can be delivered in a cost-effective way reflecting the needs of all partners involved.

“We acknowledge the call for a commitment to Ardrossan, and absolutely understand the views of the communities in favour of retaining it as the mainland port, and this has been laid out in the business review work accordingly.

“The business case and overall delivery of the project need to be supported by financial packages from each of the main funding partners.

“It is vital that these packages and legal agreements are clearly defined, affordable and ensure value for the public purse.

“The ongoing discussions and negotiations around the delivery of improvements at the port have been complex but the business case review is substantially complete, and project partners continue to work on this as quickly as practicable.

“The next meeting of the Ardrossan Task Force will be convened soon after the business case and cost review exercise has been submitted to ministers for a decision.”