GWYNEDD Council will forge ahead with plans that could see one of its major developments leased out to a private firm in a bid to improve its day-to-day management.

Admitting to a historic lack of investment over several years, councillors voted to commission further studies over the future running of Hafan Marina and Harbwr Pwllheli after concluding that “doing nothing was not an option.”

Dwyfor District Council developed Hafan Pwllheli marina during the early 90’s thanks to European funding, before local government reorganisation saw it transferred to the new Gwynedd Council in 1996.

But concerns over the dwindling number of berth holders  has resulted in plans being drawn up that could see the site sold, leased off or the authority continuing to run it via an arm’s length company.

Contributing to this morning’s Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting in Caernarfon, Cllr Alwyn Gruffydd said: “The challenges facing the marina now, such as the silting issues, will still be there no matter who’s running it.

“But the main problem, going back over many years, is the lack of maintenance.

“Because there’s been no real investment, which is something the portfolio holder has admitted himself today, its reached this stage where we’re facing a mountain of problems to overcome.

“You’re not going to sell nor transfer the site without some kind of arrangement in place over dredging the channel.

“At present the marina just isn’t fit for purpose for these exact reasons. There’s no point even discussing the options unless these are sorted out first”

Cllr Freya Bentham, added: “It all roots back to a lack of investment, if you stop investing you won’t get customers and thus lose the £400,000 it still brings in.

“I think Gwynedd Council just doesn’t have the experience to run a marina, and this can’t go on.”

Council officer, Llyr Jones, pointed out the £200,000 annual budget to maintain the facility, but many members raised concerns over the state of the channel.

Cllr Huw Wyn Jones said, “What would be the economic effect on Pwllheli if the marina were to shut? Disastrous I’d have thought.

“Would it be better for the authority not to make a profit for a few years and instead to invest back into the marina to bring it back up to scratch?”

But with the facility currently bringing £400,000 a year into council coffers, officers warned that any such move would mean having to find similar cuts elsewhere.

The marina offers over 400 pontoon moorings, offices, changing rooms, showers, toilets, safe boat storage area, a 50 tonne crane, boat transport and parking provision.

But most facilities, including the moorings, are over 20 years old and despite currently being in working order, will reach the end of their life in the next few years.

Figures released in March found that 21 of the 81 available berths at the Outer Harbour and 103 of the 409 berths at its twin, Hafan Pwllheli, had not been taken up for 2018.

With a berth costing vessel owners £380 a year per metre, every empty space represents a loss of income for Gwynedd Council.

Other marinas in north Wales, including Holyhead and Conwy, are already run privately.

But a recent questionnaire found that many former berth holders at Pwllheli had decided to sell their boats due to the high costs of maintaining a vessel with many berth holders getting older and younger people are not coming in to fill the gaps.

Many also preferred to keep their vessels on dry land.

“We need a long term solution to the dredging issue,” Llyr Jones added.

“We need to find a way of recycling the silt, simple pumping it and taking it to landfill is not economically viable.”

Dredging the channel, according to the report, is a specific issue in the area due to a lack of capacity to dispose of the sediment despite ongoing concerns that silting levels in the channel are already affects access to the harbour.

Environmental awareness has also made silt disposal much more challenging over recent years.

As well as leasing out the facility, other options set to be considered include improvements to the facilities paid for by the authority, establishing an at arm’s length company and a joint venture with a private company.

The report prepared by Gwynedd Council officers, concluded: “It is recommended there is a case for change but that does not necessarily mean that new providers are needed to manage the Hafan.

“The alternative model could, as a minimum, mean introducing improvements and/or an investment to the service and, at the other end of the scale, could mean selling the site to an independent provider.”