Port plan finalised again
• The first of 115 pages in the original final report.
By Tony Scott,
JUNE 02, 2021
By Tony Scott
A freshly finalised final report of the Bridport Foreshore Masterplan is expected to be sent later this week to members of a working group that contributed to its preparation.
The $250,000 plan was done after a community consultation in early 2019 by Hobart-based Burbury Consulting for Marine and Safety Tasmania.
There was reportedly no feedback to a draft report tightly circulated to members of the working group in July 2019.
But the final report, delivered in November 2019, did not please the Dorset Council, which argued against priorities for various project listed in the report and objected to being responsible for a jetty it has never supported.
A pledge of $5million before the State election has been based on the Master Plan and seems set to deliver the first stage of a new jetty, boat ramp improvements and studies for a proposed new entrance to the Trent Water estuary.
A MAST officer said the consultants were being asked to refine the wording of the final report to clear Dorset Council of responsibility for a jetty and remove priorities for the various projects.
However, the sheer scale and cost of the proposal to excavate a new estuary entry and build a new marina suggests it's still some way off and requiring Commonwealth support to get underway.
The new entry has strong support from commercial users of the port, both fishing and freight.
Ferry operator Furneaux Freight has long advocated for improved port access and commercial fisherman Allan Barnett said the masterplan’s proposal for a 30-metre channel almost straight off the end of the exiting wharf would make accessing the port much easier.
“Navigating right around the channel to the present mouth can be tricky in some conditions, especially if you’re not a regular in the port.
“If we can get a decent depth in there’d be potential for more fishing boats to come in that otherwise have to go to the Tamar or Devonport around to St Helens if they can get over the barway there.
“A marina could attract some recreational boats too.
“I think it could only be a good thing for the town.
“But I think it’s up to the scientists to do their work to see if it can be done,” he said.