Firms keen to drop anchor at Port Edgar

SEVERAL commercial firms have expressed interest in taking over the Port Edgar marina, the city council has said, along with a separate bid from a group of yacht owners who use the under-threat facility.

Edinburgh Leisure, the current operator, will pull out in 2013/14 due to financial constraints and the city council is searching for a replacement to allow the marina to continue.

As the Evening News told last year, it is estimated that £2.5 million would have to be spent on maintenance just to keep the facility open for more than three years.

The marina had been in line for a £14m refurbishment but the plans were dropped because the economic downturn had made it impossible to find a developer.

A report to councillors on the culture and leisure committee said that it had been established that there was market interest in Port Edgar.

Alastair Maclean, director of corporate governance at the city council, wrote: “Market analysis and informal feedback from potential commercial operators has confirmed that there is a market for investing in Port Edgar.”