'Uncertainty' over marina could see boat owners move away

Boat owners could move elsewhere due to a lack of investment and uncertainty about the future ownership of a seaside town's marina, its manager says.

Aberystwyth marina has been in administration for three years after the previous owners, the Marine and Property Group, became insolvent, leaving staff unpaid and millions of pounds of debt.

Western Marinas, a Cardiff-based company, wants to run the marina and says it is willing to invest in it too, but is "frustrated" after applying unsuccessfully three times for an operating licence from Ceredigion council.

The council said it was "fully committed to bringing about improvements to the harbour area".

Manager Adam Knowles said the berths for 154 vessels are usually 85% full and well-used by sailing and motor boats, fishing boats and yachts, but it has had to suspend boatyard operations pending investment.

Two years ago, Western Marinas started to run the marina on behalf of the administrators and now says it wants to buy it.

While the company has already invested in the marina on a new fuel pontoon and by taking the staff onto its own books, it says it isn't prepared to spend more without an operating licence.

Knowles said: "The equipment that we use, which is the lifting hoist, it's pretty much reached its life expectancy. We need to replace that as it's becoming increasingly more expensive to keep it running.

"Dredging is the other massive item that needs to be addressed. The harbour in particular is well overdue a dredge, and if it doesn't get done, then the larger yachts that we that we usually cater for won't be able to come here, and that'll have a drop in the occupancy."

Knowles added without improvements to facilities at the marina, customers could leave.

"We're getting to that stage now, where if the harbour's not dredged, if the boatyard continues to be suspended, you know, some of these berth holders will start to look elsewhere," he said.

Damian Sidnell, who has kept a boat in Aberystwyth since 2002, said: "There are a few who've said to me that they would.

"If it's not resolved by next April when it's time to renew, they would definitely be thinking about taking the boat elsewhere."

He said owners wanted answers from the council about why the lease had not yet been released.

Winston Phillips, a retired businessman and former fisherman from New Quay, has spent the last six years travelling on his boat around the UK and Europe.

"I think I've counted up 73 marinas in the last six years, so I have a lot of marina experience here and abroad, and this is one of the best," he said.

"It'd be a real shame if the council don't go ahead, grant them the lease so that they can invest, especially on the dredging."

Retired firefighter David Hardy from Manchester said Aberystwyth marina came to his rescue when he got into trouble in his boat after sailing through Ramsey Sound off Pembrokeshire.

"I phoned them and said 'look, I've got problems. I think I'm sinking because I'm taking water on all the time'," he said.

"And they said 'just get here. We'll sort something out. We'll find somewhere for you. Just get here, and we'll sort it out'.

"Everyone here has bent over backwards to help me. They couldn't have been more friendly."

Western Marinas already operates marinas in Cardiff and Watchet in Somerset, both of which went into administration at the same time as Aberystwyth.

"That's two individual councils that they've... worked constructively with, and continue to do so. Any issues have been resolved in a good length of time. Whereas here in Aberystwyth, it's two years down the line, and it's just real frustration when ultimately we all want the same - a successful, busy marina."

Councillor Carl Worrall said it is also about increasing footfall in Aberystwyth and improving the town.

"We need a marina that's functional where we've got jobs, we've got apprenticeships, but not only that, the knock-on effect of having a quality marina here - people come and visit Aberystwyth," he said.

"I know a lot of boat owners, a few of the fishermen, and they are worried because if they don't know what's going to happen here, where they're going to put their boats? What's going to happen? So there's so much uncertainty."

Gwyn Wigley Evans, chair of Ceredigion council's thriving communities scrutiny committee, said he understood why the council was being cautious after the previous owners had gone bankrupt.

"This uncertainty has been a problem," said Evans, "I can understand the council's perspective too, to be fair... they have to be sure that everything is going to be right."

Western Marinas says it had paid six months' rent up front for Aberystwyth marina until the end of 2026, and has paid business rates until the end of next March. It has also recently submitted an application for a licence for the fourth time.

Ceredigion council said reasons for refusal have included "a requirement to ensure liabilities for business rates and rental payments are paid and the associated accounts kept up to date."

It said it was "fully committed to bringing about improvements to the harbour area and wider town, as part of its economic strategy", and it was unable to give any more information because "lease assignments are a legal matter."