Ards Borough Councillor Nigel Edmund has expressed his delight over the £2 million investment that has been secured for Portavogie Harbour.
With his family closely involved in the fishing industry, and having tried his hand at fishing a few times himself, Nigel has a great interest in the life of the port. Councillor Edmund, along with Jim Shannon MP, and Councillor Robert Adair attended a meeting with Kevin Quigley, NIFHA Chief Executive, and Eddie Robinson, Portavogie Harbour Master last week.
Mr Shannon said: “This is fantastic news which has pleased all involved including Michelle Mcilveen MLA who has been active in supporting the project.
He said: “Improvements are to be made for the walls of the harbour, with the installation of a new CCTV system, the Inner Basin will be cleaned and treated and there are potential options for a smaller slipway as well as the general repairs and improvements to the entire area.
“It shows just how much potential the Harbour has and it will allow Portavogie Harbour to compete on the same level as other working ports around Northern Ireland. In these difficult economic times, I am delighted to see that the hard work and personal investment of these local fishermen and women is finally going to be worthwhile.
“Having spoken to fishermen about this last week, some expressed their concerns about the birthing of smaller boats in the Harbour during the work on the Inner Basin, and some suggested that accommodation might need to be provided at Bangor Harbour to facilitate this work. We will be contacting the Northern Ireland Fisheries Harbour Authority in relation to this.
“However, for the most part, the fishermen have expressed their delight that work is finally being undertaken, which will put their Harbour on par with others in Northern Ireland. It is the biggest investment that the Harbour has seen in twenty years and it will undoubtedly give the entire local economy a much needed and deserved boost,” added Mr Shannon.
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