SCOTTISH Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said the Scottish Government remains committed to trying to purchase Ardrossan Harbour with negotiations ongoing after the task force met for the first time in almost a year.
Hyslop co-chaired the latest meeting with North Ayrshire Council leader Marie Burns after it was announced last month the Scottish Government was considering nationalising the port. It is currently owned by Peel Ports.
No Arran CalMac ferries have been travelling in and out of Ardrossan for the majority of the year due to the new MV Glen Sannox being too large to berth at the harbour and repairs continuing on the ageing MV Caledonian Isles.
The Glen Sannox and the MV Alfred have instead been operating from Troon, with the journey from there taking around 20 minutes longer each way.
It has led to fears Ardrossan could suffer a similar fate to Stranraer, which in 2011 lost the ferry to Northern Ireland after more than 150 years. The local economy quickly took a significant downturn after Stena Line moved up the coast to Cairnryan.
Residents in Arran are struggling to get to medical appointments at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, which is easily reachable by bus from Ardrossan but much more challenging to get to from Troon.
The port requires a costly berth realignment in order to accommodate the new Glen Sannox – which entered service to Arran in January – and its sister ship Glen Rosa – which is due later this year.
The task force involves Transport Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, Peel Ports, CalMac, CMAL, the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee and the area's MSP Kenneth Gibson.
Following the first meeting of the task force this year, Hyslop confirmed the Government is still aiming to purchase the harbour.
She did not, however, provide any sort of timetable of works as she said this could only be established "on actual purchase".
Hyslop said: "This Government remains fully committed to the future of Ardrossan Harbour and as discussions progress it is still our intention to utilise the funding for a potential purchase from our 2025/26 budget.
"I recognise the desire from the local community to understand when works on Ardrossan Harbour will begin and what those works will be and how they will be scheduled but such a timeline can only be reasonably established and published on actual purchase and transfer of control of the port.
“There is a requirement for due diligence and agreement of terms between Peel Ports Group and CMAL before any change of ownership could be confirmed. These negotiations are still ongoing, and all parties continue to act in good faith."
Hyslop confirmed that she also met with the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee and key stakeholders in Ardrossan where she reaffirmed the Government's intention that when the Caledonian Isles returns to service at the end of May, she will operate out of Ardrossan.
A protest was held at Troon Harbour at the weekend by campaigners keen to see the historic route between Ardrossan and Brodick protected.
The Ardrossan Harbour Project – to develop the port and make it suitable for the Glen Sannox and upcoming Glen Rosa – was given the go-ahead way back in 2018 by then transport minister Humza Yousaf, but the project was paused in 2023 and a fresh business case has never emerged.
Given the route has existed for hundreds of years, the communities on either side of the Firth of Clyde have built their livelihoods around it, with Troon causing a multitude of issues for ferry passengers travelling without a car.
When foot passengers get to Troon, the train station is a good 20 to 25 minute walk from the ferry port so, combined with fewer sailings, it is practically impossible for them to take a day trip to Glasgow – something which is fairly simple from Ardrossan, which has a train station right at the harbour.
According to campaigners trying to save the route, businesses in Ardrossan are now seeing their profits decline and people on both sides of the water are facing disruption getting to and from work, as well as islanders struggling to get to medical appointments.
A petition to save the harbour has hit more than 10,000 signatures with people right across the North Ayrshire area offering their support.
