Northumberland port in line for £400,000 boost as it gets ready to welcome cruise ship visitors

Berwick Port is in line to receive a £400,000 boost in its bid to bring cruise ships to the town and increase tourism.
Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson with Alan Irving of Berwick Harbour Commission.Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson with Alan Irving of Berwick Harbour Commission.
Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson with Alan Irving of Berwick Harbour Commission.

Northumberland County Council has earmarked the funding as Tweed Dock gets set to welcome its first cruise ship visitors this summer.

The funding would be conditional on Berwick Harbour Commission agreeing to a potential option to allow access to some of the site should the council be able to develop further integrated coach and car parking in that area of Tweedmouth.

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Like many of the county’s market towns, parking facilities are at a premium and the council is looking at ways of creating better facilities for visitors.

The funding comes after Berwick Harbour Commission’s successful 2017 bid for £2million from the Coastal Communities Fund to carry out essential works to secure Berwick’s future as a viable working port and a key part of the local economic infrastructure.

Council leader Peter Jackson said: “We’ve always been supportive of the Harbour Commission’s plans for the port and I’ve just visited the site myself to see the major improvements they’re working on.

“The economic and regeneration benefits of this scheme to Berwick town and the whole of north Northumberland have been significantly improved because of the confirmation that cruise ships will now be visiting Berwick this year. This is a really exciting long term development.

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“We know how other towns have benefited from the arrival of cruise ships, opening up whole new streams of tourism funding as thousands more visitors explore the area.

“Through our proposed funding the aim is that the port site could potentially be used to serve the town centre as well as the cruise ship operation by creating improved parking facilities for cars and coaches.”

Coun Georgina Hill, Berwick East, said it was ‘great news for the port and Berwick’.

She added: “This further investment will help secure the long term future of the port, promote and enhance tourism and the local economy.

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“Continuing with the ‘win, win’ aspect of all this, we are also looking at resolving long standing issues around coach parking and helping parking in general.”

The plans will be considered by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, March 10.