News from Newlyn Harbour
As Spring has officially sprung, Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC) welcome the return of warmer drier weather and the Scottish prawn fleet to the rich fishing grounds of the South West.
NP&HC’s recent recruitment process to attract three new Board members has yielded a strong pool of candidates. Shortlisting is now taking place and interviews are scheduled to take place this month.
The Commissioners are looking forward to advancing their planned development projects across the Newlyn Harbour Estate this year.
The Newlyn Marine Skills & Resource Centre in The Strand is now in build. R M Developments, as the lead contractor and Ward Williams, as the project managers are working in partnership with architects, Poynton Bradbury to construct this much-needed centre of excellence for developing maritime expertise in Cornwall, which is due for completion in 2026.
To progress their long-term ambitions to develop Newlyn Harbour and Sandy Cove for the benefit of local stakeholders, NP&HC have received WSP Limited’s technical report and now have a scoping study to inform their future plans. NP&HC Chairman, Paul Durkin and Newlyn Harbour Master and CEO, Jonathan Poynter, will present these plans to potential investors at the UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) conference in Leeds in May, in collaboration with Cornwall Council, to ascertain levels of interest.
Further industry engagement has taken place in the form of a recent presentation to NP&HC by Chris Ranford from the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) about the development of local fisheries and includes attendance at the British Ports Association’s Small Ports Conference in Cowes and its Fishing Ports group meeting in Grimsby to enable interaction with other specialist ports of a similar scale.
The drier weather has allowed maintenance at Newlyn Harbour to continue, with a new roof installed on Newline Chandlery, roof and gutter clearing, and the cleaning and painting of metal work and properties. Upcoming works are planned, with a continuation of the programme to upgrade and replace old wooden fender piles with steel ones. A new batch of wooden fenders and new mooring bollards have been ordered, and are expected to arrive and be fitted during the next three to six months.
Newlyn Harbour’s schedule of charges for users will not increase for at least three months.
“As usual, we encourage Newlyn Harbour users to report any maintenance issues to the Harbour Office so that we can investigate and add them to our ongoing programme of upgrades and repairs,” adds Jonathan.
The restoration of the Old Quay by Nick Howell and his eager volunteers continues, with new ladders and ironwork being made and fitted. This project aims to revitalise the historic heart of Newlyn Harbour with renewed moorings and facilities for heritage vessels and other users.
Issues with the private potable water supply at Newlyn Harbour are ongoing and although the existing supply can still be used for technical purposes, such as ice-making, fish processing and vessel washdown, drinking water should be taken from the hydrant at the ice berth. The Harbour Master continues to work with specialists to determine the elements of Newlyn Harbour’s water supply infrastructure that need to be renewed, and updates will be provided via the Newlyn Harbour website and social media channels.
“The first quarter of 2025 has already been productive with progress having been made across the Commissioners’ portfolio of projects,” adds NP&HC’s Chairman, Paul Durkin. “We look forward to appointing and welcoming our three new Commissioners to the Board, and to further developing and implementing our strategy to secure Newlyn’s future for the next generation and beyond.”
NP&HC Board meetings take place on a bi-monthly basis on the first Friday of each month.
For further information about Newlyn Harbour, please visit newlynharbour.com.
