The work will establish design requirements to be included in tender documents, which will be issued to those interested in bidding for the development project.

To help inform the plans, both land and marine side ground investigation works will take place from 1 November 2022 for 12 weeks at Gourock Ferry Terminal. These will be coordinated with the ferry timetable to minimise disruption.

The terminal redevelopment is part of a wider programme, in partnership with Transport Scotland, CalMac and Argyll & Bute Council. The overall programme covers the redevelopment of Gourock Ferry Terminal, improvements to harbour infrastructure at Dunoon and Kilcreggan, and delivery of new vessels for the Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan routes.

Graeme McGinty, senior project manager at CMAL, said: “Following public engagement, we have established a preferred option for the terminal redevelopment. Mott MacDonald will now work to complete the detailed design for the project, which will be issued as part of the tender for the works.

“This programme is set to deliver a more resilient ferry service for the community, and it’s great to be progressing with the terminal development portion of the project.”

The harbour infrastructure and vessels project at Gourock forms part of a 10-year programme of investment by CMAL, backed by £580 million from the Scottish Government for five years from 2021 to 2026. Plans are underway to deliver 21 new vessels for the fleet, and a multi-million-pound upgrade of harbour infrastructure over the next decade. Further multi-million-pound investment will be needed to fund plans from 2026 onwards.