North Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet has approved an agreement which will trigger the beginning of the procurement process for the multi-million-pound redevelopment.

This agreement with the Ardrossan Harbour Company Limited (AHCL) will enable Peel Ports Group to lead a procurement process to secure contractors to undertake the proposed improvement works.

Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for green environment and economy at North Ayrshire Council, said: “This is a critical part of the journey towards seeing the transformation of Ardrossan Harbour.

“This will kickstart the process of obtaining tenders for the project, before agreeing funding and contracts for both the design and build of the landside and marine works, including a new terminal building, berth and access arrangements.

“The redevelopment of the harbour forms a key part of our wider ambitions for Ardrossan, including the proposals for the new community campus.

“I’m delighted that we have now reached the stage where we can start to see tangible progress being made towards creating a modern, accessible and welcoming harbour, providing added resilience for the crossing to Arran.”

It is intended that the procurement process can get underway as soon as possible with an invitation to tender expected to be issued in the coming months. Based on the current project plan, construction could be completed in 2026.

Given that the marine works will involve significant disruption to the harbour infrastructure, the closure of the Arran berth during the construction phase is unavoidable, with the ferry service temporarily relocating to Troon, until the Ardrossan works are complete.

All efforts will concentrate on minimising service disruption during the project in order to secure a return to a newly-transformed Ardrossan Harbour as quickly as possible.

The project is being led through an Ardrossan Harbour Taskforce, co-ordinated by Transport Scotland and with membership including North Ayrshire Council, Peel Ports Group, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), Cal Mac Ferries Ltd (CalMac), and the Arran Ferry Committee.