FED-UP campaigners who want to see Ardrossan Harbour nationalised have said more protests will be held against Peel Ports, CMAL and the Scottish Government HQ as talks move at a “glacial” pace.
Wyllie Hume, of the Arran for Ardrossan Harbour group, has pledged to “keep going at all three of them constantly until we get some kind of result”.
There are plans for activists from both Ardrossan and the Isle of Arran to stage demonstrations at Peel Ports bases in Port Glasgow and Greenock next month, while campaigners will look to hold protests at Peel Ports headquarters in Liverpool and outside Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop’s constituency office in West Lothian.
It comes after a demonstration was held outside Peel Ports’ offices in Glasgow last week, which received widespread media attention.
Apart from a brief period in the summer, there have been no ferries sailing between Ardrossan and Brodick since the start of the year because the new Glen Sannox vessel is too large to fit in the harbour.
It has instead been sailing from Troon since its launch in January. This crossing takes longer and so there are fewer sailings of the ferry than there would be from Ardrossan.
The fiasco has left residents living in Arran struggling to get to medical appointments on the mainland while businesses in Ardrossan fear for their future amid a dip in footfall.
Transport Secretary Hyslop announced earlier this year that she had asked officials to look at the potential purchase of the harbour in North Ayrshire.
But since then, there has been minimal progress in a deal being signed off.
This week MSP Kenneth Gibson described talks as moving at a "glacial" pace.
Hume told The National apathy was setting in among residents, but campaigners have vowed to not give in.
“We’re going to keep going at all three of them constantly until we get some kind of result,” he said.
“The depressing thing is even if they announce tomorrow that the buyout has happened, it’s going to be two or three years before we get Ardrossan up and running again. Every day they don’t get the buyout it’s just another day going to Troon.
“Everybody is just fed up with it now. Arran has been banging on about ferries for years and everybody is just sick to death of it all. We just want to get back to normal life.
“A certain amount of apathy has set in among the general population because most people are very negative about politicians. We’ll try and be optimistic about it. We’re not giving in.”
The Caledonian Isles, which can sail from Ardrossan, is still undergoing repair work which started in January 2024. It was due to make a return to service in June, but ultimately never sailed as more issues were found.
A minor update was given to Parliament this week to say CMAL is negotiating a “Heads of Terms” agreement with Peel Ports, which owns the harbour.
This is preliminary, non-binding document that summarises the key commercial principles and terms agreed upon by parties before a comprehensive, formal contract is drawn up.
“If it doesn’t get done before the next election there could be difficulties because I think the next election is going to throw up a weird and wonderful coalition,” said Hume.
“People are still very angry about the Troon situation and we’re not going to accept it. We see it as a temporary solution, and we will hold to that.”
Ardrossan has been the port for Arran for almost 200 years and residents who live either side of the Firth of Clyde have tailored their lives around the crossing.
Ardrossan Harbour is served by a train station with a direct connection to Glasgow, with the timings of the trains set up to match the timings of ferries. Troon station, meanwhile, is a 15-minute walk from the port, though there is a shuttle bus.
The Ardrossan port requires a costly berth realignment in order to accommodate the new Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa – which is now not due to be delivered until 2026.
The Ardrossan Harbour Project – to develop the port and make it suitable for the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa – was given the go-ahead way back in 2018 by then transport minister Humza Yousaf, but the project was paused in 2023 and a fresh business case has never emerged.
Fears have been expressed that Ardrossan could suffer a similar fate to Stranraer, which in 2011 lost the ferry to Northern Ireland after more than 150 years. The local economy quickly took a significant downturn after Stena Line moved up the coast to Cairnryan.
Lewis McIntyre, managing director of port services for Peel Ports Group, said: “We very much welcome the latest announcement from Scottish Government and CMAL and we are hopeful that this progress will help to finally bring about a solution for the people of Arran and Ardrossan.
“Peel Ports Group has engaged with pace and urgency since the beginning of the negotiation process and our commitment to reaching a solution that works for all parties remains unwavering."
CMAL CEO Kevin Hobbs added: “Ardrossan presents a complex set of circumstances, which require careful consideration. We have engaged our experienced staff, along with expert legal and commercial advisors, to ensure every aspect of the potential purchase of assets and the transfer of Statutory Harbour Authority responsibilities is thoroughly assessed.
“I look forward to productive discussions with Peel Ports Group in the coming weeks.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "As the Cabinet Secretary for Transport recently reaffirmed, this Government is fully committed to Ardrossan serving the Arran route and to investing in the harbour to ensure that the service is fit for the future.
“Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), as our ferries and ports asset owner, is actively negotiating a ‘Heads of Terms’ agreement with the owner of Ardrossan Harbour, Peel Ports Group. This involves legally complex and commercially sensitive work which will take time.
"All parties are acting in good faith in these negotiations."
