Cash shortfall sees city fishing museum slip through the net

Published on Thursday 30 April 2009 09:41

HOPES that the Capital's fishing industry museum will be reopened have been dashed because of a £170,000 funding shortfall.

The Newhaven Heritage Museum – which charts the area's centuries-old traditions of boat-building and fishing – closed in 2006 when its Fishmarket home was closed for a revamp which saw the old Harry Ramsden's replaced by the Loch Fyne restaurant.

Plans to return the historic fishmarket building back into a museum, however, have been foiled after owner Forth Ports said it wanted to divide the former museum unit in two, with the glazed, harbour-facing portion given over to a full commercial let. Although offering the council-run museum reduced rental terms, Forth Ports said it would not meet the cost of subdividing the unit.

This work, along with other upgrading such as putting in toilets for the disabled, would cost 232,500 but city leaders only have 60,000 to put towards the scheme, with officials concluding that there is little prospect of attracting the money from other sources.

The news comes as an independent 10,000 study into the future of the museum, jointly funded by the council and Forth Ports, has concluded that re-opening in its previous Pier Place premises is its best option.

Officials will now look at other venues for the heritage museum, while councillors are to set up a cross-party group to look at the future of the Newhaven museum, as well as plans for a museum of Leith.

The city's culture leader Deidre Brock, said: "We're extremely disappointed that after many months of hard work and discussions by all parties concerned, this is the situation we have now arrived at. Nevertheless, we remain fully committed to ensuring that Newhaven's history and heritage are preserved.

"There is a wealth of enthusiasm for this locally and it's important we harness this in developing the way forward, something the museums team is keen to do."

A Forth Ports spokesman, said: "Forth Ports has always been very supportive of the Newhaven Museum project and this has included the offer of significantly reduced rental terms to keep them based at their preferred location.

"It is disappointing that the additional costs that are required to bring the facility up to an acceptable museum standard make this project financially unviable in the current climate.

"Forth Ports will continue to support the council in their efforts to find a commercial solution."

Local councillor Marjorie Thomas added: "I am very disappointed with this outcome. We know Forth Ports are not in a particularly good financial position just now but I had hoped some sort of deal could have been reached.

"The cross-party working group is a good idea as there will be joint-working that can be done between both the Leith and Newhaven projects."

500 YEARS OF MARITIME HISTORY

NEWHAVEN'S maritime history can be traced back to the early 1500s when part of the coast was bought from Abbot Ballantyne of Holyrood by King James IV.

He created a massive building yard and docks for ships at Our Lady's Port of Grace, as Newhaven was known then, and ordered the creation of the huge warship the Great Michael.

Each port had a distinctive costume and Newhaven women were known as the "yellow butterflies" among Forth fishwives.