Yacht club hopes to take control as marina faces axe

A RUNDOWN marina which is threatened with closure could receive a second wind from the yachting enthusiasts who rely upon it.

The future of the Port Edgar Marina is currently uncertain, with Edinburgh Leisure, the trust that runs the Capital's sports facilities on behalf of the city council, set to withdraw funding in 2013-14 because of rising operation costs. The marina, which sits just west of the Forth Road Bridge, will be shut down unless a company can be found to take it over.

However, it has emerged that Port Edgar Yacht Club, whose members rely on the marina, are in talks with the council and Edinburgh Leisure about running the site.

Commodore Terry Kirchin said discussions were at an early stage, but that the closure of the facility would be a "terrific loss" for the local community. He said: "There's no marina like this on the east coast (of Scotland] - you would have to go to Newcastle to find a marina this size.

"But it's always really busy and vibrant, with a sailing school, the Sea Cadets and the Scouts as well as all sort of commercial users, so there's quite a lot of jobs here.

"The question is whether the council want the marina to be run as a commercial marina by a private operator or as a community-managed scheme. What we have said in the yacht club is for want of us doing the work and having a look at it, we will not see the place closed."

He said members of the yacht club, including accountants, lawyers and planners, were now looking at the possibility of running the marina as a charitable trust.

An estimated 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 revamp but the plans were dropped because the economic downturn had made it impossible to find a developer. Edinburgh Leisure is working with the council to try to find a new operator to rescue the facility, but if it fails then the marina will close in three years.

June Peebles, Edinburgh Leisure's director of strategic services, said: "We're happy to support the yacht club, and other interested parties, with their plans for the site and remain committed to working with the city council to explore all options which lead to a long-term future for Port Edgar that is in the best interests of everyone. Edinburgh Leisure are committed to maintaining their operation of the watersports centre and again are working with the council to this end."