Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) launched a public consultation this summer to ascertain stakeholders’ initial views about a potential combining of CHC with Cowes Town Waterfront Trust (CTWT) and a possible application to the Charity Commission, among other proposals. The initial deadline for public comment was 3rd August 2020 and a large amount of feedback has been received, including a general request for more information.
CHC would like to thank everyone for their feedback to date, sent in individually, via groups or through the CHAC (Cowes Harbour Advisory Committee). After careful consideration of all comments received, the Commissioners agreed at a Board meeting on 12th August to suspend further public consultation, allowing time for detailed consideration of the views received.
As a Trust Port, CHC has a duty to ensure all stakeholders have sufficient time to give their views during a consultation and originally, an extension to October was granted to enable further public comment. The Commissioners will now suspend the consultation and will review the position in 2021 based on the situation at the time, with a possibility of restarting the public consultation.
The priority for CHC is the safety of the harbour, however the publically stated vision of CHC includes ‘for Cowes Harbour and the River Medina to fulfil their potential in delivering first-class port facilities and leisure services’. To enable this, CHC undertakes commercial activities in order to be self-financing, as is expected of Trust Ports, and any surplus funds raised through its activities are reinvested back into the harbour and its facilities, to the benefit of its harbour users, or ‘stakeholders’.
For reference, the link to the original consultation process can be found on the CHC website:
cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/consultation
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Cowes Harbour Commission is the statutory harbour authority for Cowes Harbour on the Isle of Wight.
Cowes Harbour is a Trust Port, which means it has no shareholders or other owners, but is managed for the benefit of its users, or ‘stakeholders’. The port is run by an independent Board of Commissioners, appointed through a public selection process who give their time on a voluntary basis.
Cowes Harbour Commission’s main function is to be the Statutory Harbour Authority for Cowes and to undertake commercial marine activities so that it can be self-financing. As the Commission has no shareholders, any surplus funds raised through its activities are reinvested back into the harbour and its facilities, to the benefit of its harbour users, or ‘stakeholders’.
Media Contact: Louisa Mamakou, Communications & Marketing Officer, Cowes Harbour Commission, Harbour Office, Town Quay, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 7AS. Tel: +44 (0)1983 293952. Email: louisa.chc@cowes.co.uk
Queries – For any further information, please contact the Cowes Harbour Office on chc@cowes.co.uk
Cowes Harbour Commission Newsletters – Subscribe to receive the latest Cowes Harbour news:
cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/sign_up_to_newsletters
