Plans to refurbish Southwold Harbour get £1.22m boost
European money to boost the fishing industry will be used to regenerate the harbour area at a Suffolk port town.
Southwold Harbour has secured £1.22m from European funds. A campaign to save Southwold Harbour received a setback when Waveney District Council decided plans for regeneration were too expensive. The new funds mean a crumbling harbour wall can be renewed and port facilities such as fish refrigeration, a crane and improved moorings can be planned. The European Fisheries Fund and the Marine Management Organisation are providing the cash. Graham Hay Davison, from Southwold Harbour Users Association, said the money was a welcome boost. He said: "We've been working since about 2002 to bring the harbour back within local ownership but one of the major problems has been the dock wall. "Significant investment was needed because the wall is dangerous and could fall into the river." John Huggins, a member of the port's lifeboat crew, said: "The lifeboat station stands on the badly crumbling wall and we hope this money will end years of uncertainty. "We'll have to find a an alternative launch site while the work is being done but it will be worth it."