Harbour expansion vote goes to full council
The plan to extend the outer harbour by two deep-water berths goes to full council on Tuesday evening after the planning committee failed to reach a decision last week, splitting five votes to five with the chair declining to use a casting vote.
Supporters, including the port authority and the chamber of trade, say the berths would let the town take cruise calls that currently anchor offshore and tender passengers in. Opponents point to the loss of the small-boat moorings and to the dredging, which would run through two winters.
The council has received 1,860 written representations, the most for any planning matter since the bypass. Of those, 61 percent object, though the authority notes that objections cluster in the two wards nearest the harbour.
The meeting starts at 18:30 in the Guildhall and will be streamed. Public speaking slots were filled within an hour of opening.