The Town Council has now received the following statement in response to the recent representations that the Town Council had made to the Isle of Wight Council in respect of the proposed sale of Ryde Harbour:
Following the publication of a report on the future options for Ryde and Ventnor harbours, the Isle of Wight Council wishes to clarify its position.
The council wants to find the best option to keep the harbours operating as harbours.
The report seeks to begin a process of identifying a potential investment partner to take on the required maintenance and much-needed improvements at both harbours.
This process will be open to all potential partners from the public, private and community sectors.
Councillor Stuart Hutchinson, Cabinet member for resources, said:
“We welcome any credible proposals that help us address the investment needs of our harbours.
“To be absolutely clear about our intentions, the council is working to develop a revised approach for the regeneration of Ryde Esplanade, which focuses on maintaining it for leisure and recreational purposes.
“Previous plans drawn up identifying options for development are no longer being pursued.
“We’ve had lots of consultation with residents and other interested parties over recent months which has helped make this clear.”
Ryde Town Council will now need to consider the options that may be open to the Town Council in light of this statement and will continue to update the community when progress has been made with this.