Marinas and berthing facilities are often regarded by development agencies as valuable items of infrastructure. They can make a valuable contribution to stimulating growth in coastal towns that may have seen a decline in commercial maritime activities.
Porthcawl
One such project, in which Walcon was involved in 2014, was the construction of a new marina at Porthcawl on the coast of South Wales, as part of a GBP 3.2 million regeneration scheme. The marina provides 70 berths within the basin for craft ranging in length from six to ten metres. Built using Walcon's rugged System 21 pontoons, the finger pontoons are arranged on three piers, with a fourth for longer boats to come alongside. All the berths are served with water and electricity and are intended for use by leisure, commercial and visiting craft. Walcon also built and installed a 28.5 metre steel structured access bridge. The official opening of the marina was held on 11 April 2014, and was attended by local officials as well as Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and Finance Minister Jane Hutt.
Kingsbridge
Easter saw the opening of a new berthing facility at Kingsbridge, on the south coast of Devon. Designed and built by Walcon Marine, the linear installation provides berths for 132 boats of up to 5.5 metres plus visitor and ferry facilities. The GBP 300k scheme followed an extensive public consultation process and has been welcomed by local residents, who expect it to provide a noticeable boost to the local economy. As well as bringing more berth holders to the town it also has a new public landing stage capable of taking larger boats, further contributing to more visitors who, it is hoped, will spend time and money ashore. Like Porthcawl, this should prove a good investment.