24 September 2012
The NFFO has played its part in successfully fighting off Council redevelopment plans for Bridlington harbour. The poorly drafted plans posed a threat to Bridlington's position as the premier shellfish port in England.
In a letter to Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, the Federation underlined the importance of the port’s harbour facilities for Brid’s rise as a shellfish centre.
Richard Benyon MP
Minister for Fisheries
Defra
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
20 February 2012
Dear Minister
Bridlington Harbour Development
We are deeply concerned about the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s plans for the development of Bridlington harbour and request your intervention with the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Transport, Michael Penning M.P. to underscore the damage to the fishing industry which would result should these plans come to fruition.
The fishing industry in Bridlington and specifically the emergence of a dynamic, productive, shellfish fishery, has bucked the trend towards decline on the East Coast of England. This is now the largest shellfish landing port in England, grossing in excess of £5million annually. Harbour activities including fisheries, supports 85 individual businesses with approximately 400 people employed on or around the harbour estate. This is the largest lobster landing port in Europe, with major landings of brown crab also supporting a range of marketing and processing activity.
All this would be jeopardised by the Council’s grandiose and poorly thought through plans, which have been vigorously opposed by the Bridlington Harbour Commissioners. The loss of harbour berths and operational harbour land entailed under the plans would cripple the shore side operations of many fishing enterprises and compress berthing to an untenable degree.
We look to you as UK Fisheries Minister to strenuously defend the fishing interest in this important port. Fishing has been central to the economic activity in Bridlington for many years and this short sighted development threatens to truncate that activity at a time when the port shows the way in terms of dynamic, small-scale enterprise.
We would be very grateful for any support that you can lend.