Port Aurel city council has approved a £48 million plan to rebuild the old harbour, ending two years of argument over the future of the waterfront. Councillors voted 27 to 22 in favour after a debate that ran past midnight.
The first phase replaces the crumbling sea walls along Old Quay and adds a new ferry pier. Later phases include 600 homes, a third of them for social rent, and a public park where the coal sheds stand today.
Who pays
Just over half of the money comes from a regional growth fund. The rest is borrowed against rents from the new homes and shops, which the council says will pay the loan back within 25 years.
This is the biggest change to the harbour in a century, and we have to get it right for the people who already live there.
— Hana Voss, council leader
Opposition councillors argued the borrowing was too risky and asked for an independent review of the costs. The council agreed to publish its figures every six months.
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