Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

A Marina for Fairlie ?

From: Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald dated Friday 9th June 1972

A MARINA FOR FAIRLIE?

A proposal to have a yachting marina built at Fairlie was suggested to West Kilbride District Council on Monday.

Councillor David Hutchinson said that he had heard that a yachting marina was to be built on the South Ayrshire coast and he suggested that the council should try and attract a development of that kind to Fairlie.

He said: ?Fairlie is the ideal area for a marina and we should get in touch with a company that does this type of work and ask them to take a look at Fairlie?.

The chairman, Mr Donald Robertson said that a project of that sort would cost at least ?200,000 and Mr T. Bruce Aitken said the area for the proposed marina was near
Girvan, and it would cost considerably more to construct a marina at Fairlie.

It was agreed that the clerk should write to the appropriate companies and ask them to consider Fairlie as a development area.

NO INTEREST

Earlier, during a discussion on general improvement in the area the chairman hit out at the apparent lack of interest by residents. ?We have missed the boat?, he said. ?There were no objections at the time when Fairlie Pier was closed, yet the pier was one of the main attractions to this area. Some people who have objected to industry being established in the area are the very same people who have done nothing to improve its amenity, especially as regards tourism. Those opposing industrial development seem also to oppose tourist development?.

Talking of Fairlie in particular Mr Robertson said that a tremendous number of complaints had been received about the railings which badly needed painting, along the sea wall at Fairlie.

It was pointed out that the railings were the responsibility of the county council and Councillor Hutchinson said: ?I suggest that we get a painter to do the work, it would cost about ?20; and then send the bill to the county. It?s a disgrace that in Fairlie, a tourist area, these railing should be in this sort of condition?.

Councillor Alexander Black said that several tourists had been critical of the general condition of Fairlie and that some effort should be made to get the town better looking.