THE Kilkeel fishing community has pledged to foot the bill for a £350,000 environmental assessment to ensure the delivery of a £35 million expansion at the local harbour.
The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), which owns Kilkeel Harbour is currently at odds with local business leaders and the fishing community over funding for an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
The EIA is essential to progress the business plan behind the £35m harbour expansion plan, but last month DAERA
turned down a request for funding towards it from Kilkeel Strategic Partnership, stating it was a ministerial decision and in the absence of an executive, nothing could be done.
There are now fears jobs and investment could move to more modern ports along both sides of the Irish Sea.
Alan McCulla, CEO of Sea Source - the fish producers’ organisation and offshore services group, believes the expansion plans could double staff numbers at the harbour and must be progressed as a matter of urgency.
“Kilkeel is a leading UK port and one of the busiest on the island of Ireland, but we will soon see this work drift away unless we are allowed to expand and extend the harbour to allow much needed development around the docks and more space for bigger boats," he said
“Our appeal to DAERA is to let us do the work on this project if they can’t, for what ever reasons. Either way, it is now a matter of grave urgency."
“Kilkeel Harbour is now a major economic driver for the region thanks to a diversification policy which has brought fresh business for offshore services at the same time as new growth in fishing. More than 1,000 people are employed here and the expansion plans would have provided the clear potential to double that number," Mr McCulla added.
