FRUSTRATED campaigners fighting to preserve the future of Ardrossan Harbour have called for Scottish ministers to directly intervene in negotiations over its ownership.
Wyllie Hume, chair of the Arran for Ardrossan Harbour group, has written to Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes citing a “lack of progress” in the Scottish Government’s planned takeover of the port.
He added Transport Scotland and Scotland’s ferries agency CMAL – which is acting on behalf of Scottish ministers in the talks – had painted a “gloomy picture” of how negotiations were going with owners Peel Ports when he met with bosses a few weeks ago.
Forbes has been asked by Hume to get directly involved and “inject a sense of urgency” into the negotiations.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has also been called on to intervene in the talks by VisitArran chief executive Sheila Gilmore.
But Gilmore told the Sunday National she had received a response from Hyslop saying it would not be appropriate for her to get involved.
An email to Forbes from Hume, seen by the Sunday National, says: “We had a meeting recently with CMAL and Transport Scotland about the negotiations, and they painted a very gloomy picture of how things were going, blaming Peel Ports for being difficult and asking far too much.
“We would like the Deputy First Minister to get involved directly in the negotiations and inject a sense of urgency into the situation."
Gilmore added: "My thoughts are that we have a bit of a 'he said' 'she said' going on between CMAL and Peel Ports, and it might be helpful to get some transparency around all this, which may only be achieved by ministerial intervention."
The Arran for Ardrossan Harbour group alongside fellow campaigners from Save Ardrossan Harbour will be travelling to Holyrood this week to call for ministerial intervention.
Concern is growing over the harbour’s long-term future as the new MV Glen Sannox ferry and its sister ship the MV Glen Rosa – which is due to begin service next year – are too big to berth at the port.
This has resulted in the Glen Sannox having to travel to Arran from Troon since January, which has added about 20 minutes onto each leg of the journey.
The Glen Sannox is only about to carry out three daily return sailings to Arran from Troon compared to the five that are possible from Ardrossan. While the MV Alfred has been providing extra support when needed, its capacity is much smaller.
There have been no ferries running from Ardrossan for five months.
The Scottish Government promised seven years ago that Ardrossan would remain the main gateway to Arran and pledged to fund the multi-million-pound upgrade required to accommodate the new ferries.
But the project was paused in 2023 amid concern over rising costs and disagreements over how the bill should be split between the three partners: Peel Ports, North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government.
Communities on both sides of the Firth of Clyde are keen to see Ardrossan remain the gateway to Arran given many people in the town travel to the island for work, while Arran residents have medical appointments in Ardrossan.
Ardrossan Harbour also has a train station offering easy access to Glasgow, while the railway station in Troon is around a 20-minute walk away from the port. People can board a shuttle to Troon station, but with only three daily return sailings, the logistics of spending a day in Glasgow from Troon are much trickier.
In February, Transport Secretary Hyslop revealed that money had been set aside to take Ardrossan Harbour into public ownership.
But since then, campaigners have lost faith in the progress of negotiations since a meeting with CMAL, Transport Scotland, Peel Ports and CalMac.
Hume said the meeting left him “flabbergasted”.
“All of us came out of that meeting thinking this could fail,” he said.
“There was no commitment in that meeting. Duncan Mackison [CEO of CalMac] listened to us quite sympathetically and he came across as someone who is committed to Ardrossan Harbour.
“But the others, they just laid on doom and gloom about how bad the negotiations were going. It was quite bizarre.
“I’m still a bit flabbergasted by it.”
He went on: “They’ve got to get the deal done. It started in February, and although we accept there’s a lot of detail to go through, we’re into June now.
“The main thing is we don’t think they can leave this to Peel Ports and CMAL. They’re not connecting with each other.”
Frances Gilmour, chair of Save Ardrossan Harbour, said the town had been “badly let down” by all parties.
“The strength of feeling from the people who go to the island for work and to see family, it is clear this is the route that needs to be sustained.
“The powers that be have let us down badly. They are putting a sticking plaster on it by giving us the Caledonian Isles back for as long as she lasts, which might not be long.
“I don’t have much confidence [in the talks]. It just seems to be a stalemate.”
Asked what her message would be to those involved in the negotiations, she said: “Get moving, and stop blaming each other.”
Peel Ports has said there has not been enough “pace and energy” from CMAL and Transport Scotland, while CMAL has said it has to “deliver the best value for the public purse”.
A spokesperson for CMAL said: "We do not own Ardrossan Harbour, so we cannot make plans for its future. We are in the middle of a commercial negotiation process to buy the harbour from Peel Ports, which limits the amount of detail that can be shared. We are fully committed to maintaining a robust and resilient ferry service for the Isle of Arran, and no option is off the table. However, we must also ensure we deliver the best value for the public purse."
A Peel Ports spokesperson said: “The ongoing cancellations, delays, and uncertainty are devastating for the people and businesses of Arran and Ardrossan. We’ve entered negotiations in good faith, working with pace and energy to a timetable we believed was achievable. Unfortunately, that pace and energy hasn’t been matched by those at the negotiating table. We appreciate that the buyers have other ferry issues to contend with but reaching a swift conclusion will require them to give this negotiation a higher priority.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “It is wholly appropriate that CMAL leads on the Ardrossan negotiations. Should ownership transfer be successful, CMAL would be the asset owner and responsible for taking forward any development works at Ardrossan.
“As owners of 26 ports and harbours across Scotland, they also bring essential experience to these complex discussions.
“We will of course update Parliament and the local community once there is progress and an outcome to report, however, CMAL and Peel Ports need time and space to undertake and conclude negotiations.”
