WEYMOUTH’S crumbling quayside will be subject to a £2million works programme which means cross-Channel ferry operations cannot resume for more than a year.

Council chiefs will progress a plan to develop the damaged ferry berth area at the centre of the saga which has prompted Condor Ferries to switch operations to Poole for the profitable summer period.

It was thought Condor would be ready to move back in time for winter sailings towards the end of this year.

But work by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council means the berth will not be ready until April 2013.

Condor benefits the local economy by well over £7million a year. The gross annual income from Condor to the council is in the region of £650,000.

Questions were again being asked today why the council has left it so long to plough money into the harbour walls when their deteriorating condition has been known for years.

Emergency repair work was ordered last month, but that repair hasn’t been successful.

Harbour work had been included in the redevelopment plans for the Pavilion peninsula but a scheme was not progressed when Howard Holdings backed out.

Chairman of the borough’s harbour management board Peter Farrell claimed the board had consistently asked the council to allocate funds to repair the walls since it was set up in 2008 but to no avail.

“This issue has been completely foreseeable and avoidable,” Coun Farrell said.

He added: “In my opinion there should have been a structured repair instead of crisis management.”

Coun Farrell said there was a ‘misconception’ the harbour management board was a ‘master of its own finances’. The harbour generates £2m a year in income but most of this is directed into the council’s general fund.

Council management committee chairman Mike Goodman said: “The news concerning the state of our harbour walls is very distressing and highlights the constant need to review all our operations regularly.

“We have been aware this area has been in need of comprehensive restoration, and it was intended that the redevelopment of the whole of that peninsular would address this.

“It is the responsibility of the whole council that since the redevelopment was cancelled that we have agreed to use our limited funding for other priorities, and all councillors have been involved in making those decisions.”

Council environment spokesman Ian Roebuck said a major repair to the ferry berth was carried out in 2002 and the authority would now bring forward its ‘long-term aspiration’ to develop the berth area. It is not known where the finance will come from to fund this.

Coun Roebuck added: “We will be using the time while the berth is vacant to plan, cost and implement a scheme of engineering works so that the area is ready to meet the business needs of the ferry operator by April 2013.”

The management committee on April 3 will discuss the programme of works for the harbour walls and initial estimates of cost which are in the region of £2m.

Fears for the future

WEYMOUTH offers the fastest ferry crossing to the Channel Islands and, unlike Poole, easy access to the sea.

But with Condor Ferries away for so long it is feared the company may not return to Weymouth.

The company has about 80 staff who live in this area and transport to Poole is being arranged.

Other teams, such as Customer Reservations will continue to operate from Weymouth.

Asked about the company’s commitment to Weymouth, operations director Captain Fran Collins said: “We have a long and successful association with Weymouth port and will continue to liaise closely with the council whilst it develops plans for the regeneration of the port.

“We have focused at this stage on the immediate priority to help passengers understand how this affects them and make sure that services operate smoothly from Poole.”

Asked about implications for jobs and services locally with the switch to Poole, Capt Collins said: “Condor recruits its staff across Dorset and beyond, with emphasis on finding the best people for the job rather than recruiting from a particular location.

“It is the nature of any travel provider that staff will have to move to various locations as part of their job.

“We currently use a wide range of service providers for our operations. Many of these are specialist services and as such most will temporarily relocate with us to Poole. We will continue to review these services over the course of the summer.”