Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) would like to thank stakeholders for the input, comments, questions and feedback received so far during the initial public consultation on harbour proposals, including the potential combining of CHC with Cowes Town Waterfront Trust (CTWT). It has become clear from the feedback received to date that a number of questions have been asked by some stakeholders that require more detailed information, where available, to aid further consideration of the proposals.
As a Trust Port, we wish to ensure all our stakeholders have sufficient time to give their views during a public consultation. We also wish to ensure the process is as transparent as possible. To facilitate those stakeholders who have asked for further information and to ensure the general stakeholder body has access to that information and time to comment, we will do the following:
A. Initially close the consultation on Monday, 3rd August (as per stated timeline in original Stakeholder Consultation Document).
B. Follow with a short review by CHC Commissioners of feedback, including but not limited to that collated by the Cowes Harbour Advisory Committee (CHAC).
C. Discuss initial stakeholder feedback with the Trustees of CTWT to enable them to provide input as appropriate.
D. Draft responses, where known, to the main questions.
E. Re-open the public consultation (on Monday, 14th September) with a copy of those responses published on the CHC website.
F. Give sufficient time to allow further comment and response to the original consultation paper. The final closing date for public consultation will be Monday, 19th October.
Please note, this process is designed to receive the most varied and comprehensive feedback from all our stakeholders and we would urge anyone who has not yet commented to do so before the first date of Monday, 3rd August in order that any other further questions can be incorporated into the response for the re-opening of the public consultation in September. As we are half-way through this process, we will not be publishing any individual feedback at this stage. Informal discussions and feedback can continue during the pause in the formal consultation process, both directly with CHC and through CHAC.
As per the original consultation paper, please note this is the initial stage of the process prior to any decision being made to take the proposals forward. The proposals are emphatically not a “done deal”. If, following the public consultation a decision is taken to move forward, CHC will follow the process set out in the original consultation paper available to view 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
