The Isle of Man's newest marina has been officially opened by the Chief Minister, several months after becoming operative.
The ceremony was held at the new boat park in Peel yesterday (Monday 14th September) and saw Tony Brown unveil a granite plaque to mark the occasion.
He was also invited by the Department of Transport to officially name the harbour footbridge as the Fenella Bridge.
In his address, the Chief Minister touched on the ways in which the marina has answered the changing needs of Peel and its community:
"Formerly, Peel was one of the Island's major fishing ports, however, as times have changed, we have witnessed the fishing industry in the Island decline.
"We have many harbours which were developed at a time when most commodities were transported to the individual communities by sea and those days, as we know, have also long gone.
"It has therefore been important to find a new use for our harbours and one of those uses is that of marinas to cater for leisure craft - and with the Island being situated in the centre of the Irish Sea, we have a wonderful opportunity to build on our location to attract visiting leisure craft to enjoy such facilities."
He went on to praise the way in which the "wonderful regeneration" has enhanced the harbour area, and the efforts of all of those in involved in bringing it to fruition.
The marina, he also stressed, is part of a wider-reaching movement to enhance the town: "The development... is only one component that can help secure Peel's future as a busy port and town, and it is gratifying to see some of the improvements that have taken place to a number of older properties along the quayside.
"Peel is also actively progressing proposals to take forward the regeneration of the town centre, which again will be important for its future".
Minister for Transport David Anderson, who also took part in the ceremony, says the decision to put the facility in Peel demonstrated a commitment to the town, and the response from boat owners and the public shows the decision was a good one:
"The number of visiting leisure craft has increased dramatically since the marina's completion in May this year.
"The success of the Peel and Douglas marinas strongly suggests that the planned marinas in Ramsey and Port St Mary would bring similar benefits and help to establish the Island as a popular and desirable destination for the thousands of leisure craft which are berthed in the UK and Ireland."
In conclusion, Director of Harbours Michael Brew added, "The comments we have received from residents and visiting boat owners have been extremely positive.
"The pontoons have made access to vessels so much easier and positive word of mouth is spreading within the boating fraternity".
Peel's harbour improvement project was sketched out over a decade ago. The harbour impoundment scheme was completed in 2005 and Tynwald granted approval for the ?3.1 million marina in February 2008.
The facility opened for business on 1st May 2009.
