Plans are going ahead to replace the troubled Floating Bridge 6. A working group has been set up for the project to replace the vessel, and the Isle of Wight Council is currently “on target” with its timescales.
Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, chair of County Hall’s economy, regeneration, transport and infrastructure committee (ERTIC), has said the local authority looks forward to what the “market has to offer” after an update on the replacement process at County Hall.
The Isle of Wight Council decided to push ahead with a plan to find a new Cowes-East Cowes ferry in October last year.
At that time, ERTIC members voted to ‘assess market interest around the supply of a new vessel’ and agreed to instruct officers to ‘procure a qualified company to articulate a high-level requirement specification and invite companies to procure solutions’.
Recommendations for new vessel
The committee’s recommendations for a new vessel included that it carry out a minimum of five crossings an hour, be at the location of the existing service, transport vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and has a sustainability focus.
ERTIC also asked for a working party open to committee members, officers and qualified stakeholders to act as a project board for the replacement process.
Love: On schedule
Michelle Love, service director for highways and community protection at the Isle of Wight Council, told ERTIC County Hall was “on schedule”.
She said,
“We have convened the working group. Key members of this committee as well as local councillors from both the town councils are also on that committee.
“We put an advert out for two voluntary independent experts – that was answered and we now have two very qualified gentlemen, marine architects who have joined us on the working party.
“The preliminary market engagement exercise…putting everything into the top of the funnel as the start of the exercise and funnelling it down to what is the art of the possible, will commence in February.”
She added the council would continue to work with members, town councillors, independent experts and technical advisers to bring forward a specification with the requirements.
Working Group
Isle of Wight Floating Bridge working group members are:
Isle of Wight Councillors
- Councillor Nick Stuart – Chair
- Councillor Phil Jordan
- Councillor Julie Jones-Evans
- Councillor Ian Ward
- Councillor Paul Fuller
- Councillor Chris Quirk
- Councillor Chris Jarman
- Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox
- Councillor Karl Love
Isle of Wight Council Officers
- Colin Rowland (Community Service – Strategic Director)
- Michelle Love (Community Services – Service Director)
- Mark Downer (Parking Floating Bridge RCP Manager • Parking Operations)
- Steve Sandercock (Project and Procurement Lead)
- Ann Barber (Finance Business Partner)
Cowes Town Council
- Councillor Stuart Ellis
- Councillor Lora Peacey Wilcox
East Cowes Town Council
- Councillor Tracey Reardon
- Councillor Karl Love
The identities of the other members of the panel, external to the council, have not yet been revealed.
Stuart: It certainly looks like it’s being pushed through really quickly
Councillor Nick Stuart, a Liberal Democrat ERTIC member, sai,
“I’m very grateful for all of the people who’ve come forward to join that working group…I’m also grateful for the people outside, other councillors and the officers.
“I’ve spoken to local people who also have an enormous amount of experience…I would hope that we will be able to go out in February as expected. It certainly looks like it’s being pushed through really quickly.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
