Following publication of a letter from Sarah Turtle last week and various readers’ comments, Kevin George, CEO of Red Funnel shares this open letter. Ed
The planning application for the East Cowes Regeneration has been formally registered by the Isle of Wight Council and the consultation process commenced on the 18th September. Since then a number of comments have been submitted.
The design of the new terminal, which in turn allows East Cowes to have its town centre back, has been a long time coming and has been developed with the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders.
Feedback carefully considered
The most recent part of that engagement was the event held on the 28th May, 2015, in the East Cowes Town Hall, which over 600 people attended. The ideas and feedback from all stakeholders has been carefully considered and wherever possible incorporated into the design.
We take very seriously the feedback and comments that have been received both prior to the submission of the planning application and those that have been registered recently. The purpose of this letter is to answer some of the key concerns that have been raised recently.
“The new scheme does nothing for car parking in East Cowes”
We recognise there is a parking issue in East Cowes and therefore the following measures have been incorporated into the design: –
- 130 new parking spaces have been provided within the outline development.
- The larger marshalling yard will enable early arriving ferry traffic to be held off the streets in East Cowes thus freeing up on street parking for local people and visitors.
- An integrated transport hub will be located within the new terminal. This will incorporate customer pick-up/drop-off, buses, taxis and cycle racks. In conjunction with smart ticketing the new terminal will strongly encourage the use of public transport.
The sale of Red Funnel’s vacated land at Phoenix and Trinity is required to part fund the project and unfortunately the value of the land for parking purposes is significantly lower than it would be if used for mixed use commercial development. If the correct value for the land is not achieved, the East Cowes Regeneration project will not proceed.
“The ferry terminal is in the wrong location”
Our current berth is the only location in East Cowes where vehicle ferries to/from Southampton can operate at all states of the tide. Even if there was an alternative location the funding is just not available for a project that would be hugely more expensive than the proposed scheme.
“Why build a new terminal now, when it is only full on a few days of the year?”
Traffic in the current terminal overflows the marshalling yard consistently at peak times throughout the year and the problem will only increase as the Island’s economy grows. When this happens, overflow traffic backs up through the town and causes congestion and inconvenience to residents, shop keepers, local businesses and chain ferry customers.
At very busy times we have to turn away customers who arrive early for their sailing and some drivers will occupy the limited parking spaces available in the town. By having a larger holding area capable of holding two sailings worth of traffic we will be able to virtually eliminate congestion and free-up parking spaces for residents.
“The new terminal will cause more traffic in East Cowes”
The location of the new terminal and the changes to the road layout will actually take traffic away from the lower part of York Avenue and the town centre.
“The roads immediately outside East Cowes cannot cope with more traffic”
The new terminal will improve the current situation in East Cowes, however the longer term strategy of the road infrastructure on the Island is an issue for the Isle of Wight Council to address.
“The slipway adjacent to Trinity Wharf is removed”
The location of the slipway adjacent to the Red Funnel link span is not an ideal location for a number of reasons:-
- Close proximity to the ferries which generate constant thrust and wash even when stationary.
- It is on the bend in the river where strong ebb tides are prevalent.
- The manoeuvring of small vessels in the marshalling yard is a health and safety issue.
The development will mean the closure of this slipway, however an alternative will be funded by Red Funnel. Specialist consultants have been contracted to investigate the potential alternative locations for a slipway – an initial report has been submitted to the Isle of Wight Council.
“The site of the new terminal should be retained for marine business”
We fully recognise the importance and value that the marine industry delivers to the northern area of the Island. An efficient and effective Gateway to the IOW also adds significant value for the whole Island and it is therefore critical that the East Cowes Regeneration project proceeds. Alternative locations for the new ferry terminal have previously been considered, however, were ruled out due to the significant
cost.
There are alternative locations along the Medina River where marine business could be re-located e.g. Kingston. Discussions are underway with the Isle of Wight Council, Homes & Community Agency and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership to explore this further together with funding sources to assist with this.
“The new scheme will destroy jobs in East Cowes”
The new scheme will create a significant number of jobs.
The existing marine jobs could easily be relocated to another site along the Medina River e.g Kingston.
“The businesses in Trinity Wharf and Seaholme yard are being forced to move?”
The businesses currently occupying these sites are on short term leases expiring in May 2017 and they were fully aware of the proposed development of the site. An alternative ‘deep water’ site has been identified at Kingston.
“The Columbine building will be demolished as part of the scheme”
The Columbine building (Union Jack) is not part of this planning application and will therefore not be affected.
The Regeneration of East Cowes offers a once in a lifetime opportunity, at a time when the required land and funding is available, to address the long standing issues of ferry traffic in East Cowes and to recreate a thriving town centre.
Further information about the regeneration of East Cowes is available at Red Funnel’s East Cowes terminal or online at eastcowesregeneration.co.uk
Kevin George
Chief Executive Officer
Red Funnel Ferries
