Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Things seem to be moving at Bo'ness dock now, though it won't be a terribly big marina.
Port Edgar Problems
- Thread starter mcanderson
- Start date
Things seem to be moving at Bo'ness dock now, though it won't be a terribly big marina.
Bilgediver
Well-Known Member
There is a newsletter doing the rounds and the text of the letter is on the marina noticeboard by the office..
Bilgediver
Well-Known Member
Lot of mud to lose!
RabT
Active Member
bargain buy
Am I the only one to see the massive potential of a marina in the centre of Edinburgh?
OK, the site needs a lot of capital investment to make it nice and easier to access, but given the demographics of Edinburgh and the Lothians, the financial potential is tremendous.
Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The Festival in August is a world event.
Can you sail into almost the city centre of any other comparable city in the UK?
Edinburgh is awash with cash and wealthy people. Yes, many will have their boats in Largs or Kip, but how many people would rather have their boat closer to home even if the cruising grounds are not as spectacular as the Clyde?
Call me naïve, but I wish I had the experience, the operational resources and the financial capability to buy the whole place from the Council. Port Edgard is a goldmine awaiting to be exploited.
I would expect Yacht Havens, or Quay or one of the other operators are already doing the market research and trying the make the numbers work. There is no chance PE will close whatsoever, not even during a recession. What better time to buy than when prices are at the bottom and a desperate seller?
Am I the only one to see the massive potential of a marina in the centre of Edinburgh?
OK, the site needs a lot of capital investment to make it nice and easier to access, but given the demographics of Edinburgh and the Lothians, the financial potential is tremendous.
Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The Festival in August is a world event.
Can you sail into almost the city centre of any other comparable city in the UK?
Edinburgh is awash with cash and wealthy people. Yes, many will have their boats in Largs or Kip, but how many people would rather have their boat closer to home even if the cruising grounds are not as spectacular as the Clyde?
Call me naïve, but I wish I had the experience, the operational resources and the financial capability to buy the whole place from the Council. Port Edgard is a goldmine awaiting to be exploited.
I would expect Yacht Havens, or Quay or one of the other operators are already doing the market research and trying the make the numbers work. There is no chance PE will close whatsoever, not even during a recession. What better time to buy than when prices are at the bottom and a desperate seller?
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Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
In the middle? That would take a bit of doing, but there was a plan for a canal from Leith to Edinburgh, more or less where Leith Walk is now. Rather a lot of locks needed, but it would be quite scenic.
maxi77
Well-Known Member
You clearly have little experience of the extreme levels of commercial accumen that exist within Edinburgh Toon Cooncil. Try googling trams and edinburgh to see just how good they reallyare.
RabT
Active Member
Nobody is discussing the absolute incompetence of Edinburgh Council.
What I am saying is that a private operator will see the opportunity this development represents and will make a move sooner or later. A move the Council, despite their ineptitude, will not be able to reject.
What I am saying is that a private operator will see the opportunity this development represents and will make a move sooner or later. A move the Council, despite their ineptitude, will not be able to reject.
maxi77
Well-Known Member
They may not reject it but will they accept it in time, or even realise they need to accept it. As long as the council own the site it is doomed
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
I think there is more commercial gain to be had at Leith Docks. On the face of it there are could be many limitations at Port Edgar for expansion.
Leith Docks are a cleared brown field site waiting on development with space for modern facilities to be built for service companies as well as a marina. A small vessel lock gate could be installed. The only down side is the RYA school would not have easy access to the sea but that could be addressed, perhaps at Granton.
Port Edgar is quite frankly a dump, below a bridge, poor road access and City access, limited expansion opportunity on the land side and a dredging issue on the sea side. Demolition and rebuilding would be near impossible with concurrent use by the existing service providers. Why renovate dereliction when there is a prime location ripe to be built on.
A development at Leith could do lots to show case Edinburgh to the European sailing fraternity and provide the water front amenity that Edinburgh lacks.
maxi77
Well-Known Member
You are forgetting Forth Ports own Leith, if you see the way they have treated Granton they perhaps make Endiburgh Leisure look better. Forth Ports see their spare land as housebuilding opportunities nothing else. As it is the place that is on offer is Port Edgar and there are outline plans available that indicate that enough land can be released for housing to pay for the marina upgrade, it is all feasable just needs some one with more CDF than the council.
andymcp
Well-Known Member
Alas Mr Soutar might have the land, but I fear is interest is waning. Any permit to run the services he piloted was dependent on him committing £3m to a harbour scheme before he started making any money, which his counter-offer of doing that after the services broke even failed to resolve. So Fife Council stuck firm and he walked away.
Last I heard, he was selling out of those plans if anyone wanted a hovercraft....
Still, if PE was to start to struggle and the opportunity to open up the Leith side arose, I'm sure a few plans would be dusted off.
stewart9901
New Member
Which section of leith docks would be looked at for a marina? the whole site is still in commercial use and i cant see that changing.
I would say forth ports wouldnt even consider it.
I would say forth ports wouldnt even consider it.
snowleopard
Well-Known Member
Is that possible?
LADY B
Well-Known Member
Forth Ports are all for it: or were before the property bubble burst.
Artist's Impression here http://www.leithdocksdevelopment.com/assets/jpgs/gallery/large/figure1.03.jpg with quite a lot of pontoons scattered about.
There is a model in Ocean Terminal as well.
No space for a boat yard though...
maxi77
Well-Known Member
Well thats Forth Ports for you yachts are only there to sell the houses/flats, sodo not need any facilities on land. Forth Corinthians are under threat of loosing all their boatyard space at Granton and Royal Forth is restricted to the small yard they own, if you add to that the reality the place is silting up.
There is no way the big locks to enter the western harbour at Leith would be ecconomic for yachts so new locks would be needed, but would Forth Ports really want to spend the cash. They can earn more filling in the harbour and building on it as they have done at Granton
stewart9901
New Member
The artist impression looks nice there, still doubt it’ll ever happen though.
I viewed a boat at granton a few months ago, the owner showed me the area of hard standing forth ports had made unusable in an attempt to force the boat yard to move. Terrible.
Incidentally, anyone know what port Edgar’s plans are for recovering their racing marks which have drifted down the river?
I viewed a boat at granton a few months ago, the owner showed me the area of hard standing forth ports had made unusable in an attempt to force the boat yard to move. Terrible.
Incidentally, anyone know what port Edgar’s plans are for recovering their racing marks which have drifted down the river?
Bilgediver
Well-Known Member
Might help if you tell them which ones you have found and where....I noticed H was missing and was curious that K had drifted UPSTREAM!!!! H always has had itchy feet....We ll get a postcard from Denmark one of these days
Fascadale
Well-Known Member
Its interesting to compare yachting/boating facilities in the capital of Scotland to those in the capital of Wales.
In Edinbugh we have Leith, shut off from the sea by a massive lock to expensive to open for yachts, we have Granton slowly silting up, we have Forth Ports, a PLC responsible to its shareholders which sees no profit in yachting, we have Edinburgh Council who have their eggs in the Port Edgar basket, at present, and the Scottish Government which up until now has shown no interest in recreational boating.
In Cardiff there is the huge new barrage around the bay, thriving yacht clubs, the CBYC and the CYC, waterside developments, the Penarth marina, locks on the barrage that open 24/7 free. On my brief visit to Cardiff I got the impression that the city was making the most of its waterfront and that all types of boating were thriving.
I think the capital of Scotland could learn much from the capital of Wales
In Edinbugh we have Leith, shut off from the sea by a massive lock to expensive to open for yachts, we have Granton slowly silting up, we have Forth Ports, a PLC responsible to its shareholders which sees no profit in yachting, we have Edinburgh Council who have their eggs in the Port Edgar basket, at present, and the Scottish Government which up until now has shown no interest in recreational boating.
In Cardiff there is the huge new barrage around the bay, thriving yacht clubs, the CBYC and the CYC, waterside developments, the Penarth marina, locks on the barrage that open 24/7 free. On my brief visit to Cardiff I got the impression that the city was making the most of its waterfront and that all types of boating were thriving.
I think the capital of Scotland could learn much from the capital of Wales
maxi77
Well-Known Member
To be realistic Edinburgh council could lear from almost any council but I would most like them to learn from La Rochelle who provide excellent facilities for yachtsmen, on a commercial basis, and managed to rebuild Les Minimes in but a few months after last years storm.
By the way that is not a party poltical thing, every party that has ruled Edinburgh in my lifetime has managed to screw up big time.
By the way that is not a party poltical thing, every party that has ruled Edinburgh in my lifetime has managed to screw up big time.
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
It's not just the capital. Glasgow has spent decades being ashamed of the river. Dammit, they filled in a perfectly good dock just a couple of years ago. The proposal for the canting basin is just a housing development with a few token pontoons.
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