Repairs at Garlieston Harbour delayed due to Kirkcudbright Bridge problems
Serious issues at Kirkcudbright Bridge earlier this year led to resources being redirected
Essential repairs for a harbour in the region have been delayed because of the unexpected problems that arose with Kirkcudbright Bridge earlier this year.
Inner wall repairs at Garlieston Harbour had been pencilled in by Dumfries and Galloway Council chiefs, and money was made available for this “very complex” project.
However, council officers were forced to switch their resources after serious structural issues emerged at Kirkcudbright Bridge in March, which later resulted in a temporary closure and now traffic restrictions.
At the council’s harbours sub committee earlier this month, an update report was presented to councillors on capital works planned for the harbours at Garlieston, Kirkcudbright, Isle of Whithorn, and Stranraer.
Some repairs had been completed at these regional harbours, however wall repairs and creating a storage area at Garlieston have stalled.
Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor David Inglis said: “The report highlights Garlieston inner wall repairs design.
“This seems to have been on the go for quite a while. Can we get an update as to what’s happening there?”
Council officer Stuart Caven replied: “This has been passed to our internal design team who have been looking at the wall and monitoring (the situation).
“Unfortunately other priorities – for instance the Kirkcudbright Bridge – have actually taken over their time just recently. So there is there is still work progressing on it.
“It’s not been as quick as we’d like to see but we are still working on the design within the internal teams at the moment.”
Councillor Inglis responded: “It just seems to have been on the agenda, or on the capital works programme, for quite a while.
“Are there timescales on it that we can get that pushed forward and completed, or is it on the back burner at the moment?”
Mr Caven said: “At the moment, no it’s not on the back burner. The team are actually working on bits at the moment.
“The harbour wall at Garlieston is quite a high wall, so the team are looking at designs and engineering issues, with a view to pulling together a full comprehensive design this financial year that we can take to this harbour’s sub committee next year, and hopefully the capital programme for next year as well.
“It’s a very complex scenario that we have at Garlieston.”
The council officer then agreed to provide elected members with an email briefing going into more details on the works at Garlieston, along with any estimated timescales.