Protesters call for Ardrossan Harbour ferry deal

Campaigners hoping to see Ardrossan harbour brought into public ownership to enable a major redevelopment have held a protest outside the offices of the port owners.

The North Ayrshire port faces an uncertain future because two new CalMac ferries ordered for the Arran route are too big to fit the existing facilities.

Since MV Glen Sannox entered service in January it has been sailing from Troon, about 15 miles (24km) down the coast.

A spokesperson for the owner, Peel Ports, denied delaying the process and said the government had to make the negotiations a "higher priority" if it was to reach a "swift conclusion".

The Scottish government promised seven years ago that Ardrossan would remain the main gateway to Arran.

Ministers pledged to help fund the multi-million pound upgrade required to accommodate the new CalMac ferries MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa.

Since then costs have risen and the project has been left in limbo because of disagreements over how the bill should be split between the three partners; Peel Ports, North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish government.

It has been estimated the redevelopment could now cost £80m.

The Save Ardrossan Harbour campaign said Ardrossan had suffered economically and passengers were inconvenienced by longer crossings and poorer transport links.

Campaigners travelled to Glasgow to protest outside the offices Peel Ports and ask them not to delay in making a deal to return the harbour to public ownership.

Troon is capable of handling the crossings but the crossing to Arran is longer, meaning only three daily sailings are scheduled instead of five.

The harbour at Ardrossan also benefits from direct train connections while at Troon there is a 15-minute walk from the port to the station.

Frances Gilmour said not having the ferries in Ardrossan had been devastating for people and businesses

Frances Gilmour, chairwoman of Save Ardrossan Harbour, told BBC Scotland News that not having the ferries in Ardrossan had been "quite devastating" for people and businesses both on the mainland and Arran.

"We started this campaign a year ago because nothing was happening," she said.

"There was another campaign [nine years ago] and we won that campaign and that was for the route to stay at Ardrossan.

"The infrastructure's there, it was the best route economically, far better than Troon, and it's not happened, but we were promised by the transport minister."

The development of Ardrossan Harbour has been stalled for years in a stand-off between the government and its private owner

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said the government was "fully committed to Ardrossan serving the Arran route" and investing in the harbour to make it "fit for the future".

"CMAL, as our ferries and ports asset owner, continue to engage constructively with Peel Ports Group on the potential change of ownership," they said.

"This involves legally complex and commercially sensitive work which will take time.

"All parties are acting in good faith in these negotiations and we will update parliament and the local community on significant progress at an appropriate time."

CalMac's newest ferry Glen Sannox is too big to berth safely at Ardrossan harbour

A Peel Ports Clydeport spokesperson said the company had been "working with pace and energy to a timetable" they believed was achievable.

"Unfortunately, that pace, energy and commitment hasn't been matched by those at the negotiating table," they said.

"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."

The spokesperson added: "We fully appreciate the scale of the disruption that the ongoing cancellations and delays to this critical service have caused."