The entrepreneur who is launching a Bristol Channel ferry service next year visited Burnham-On-Sea this week to reassure councillors that he is still considering adding the town onto his list of routes.
Chris Marrow, pictured, visited the Town Council where he spoke about his hopes of bringing his ferry fleet into Bridgwater Bay to pick up Burnham passengers.
Burnham-On-Sea.com was first to report last week that Mr Marrow’s £5m Severn Link Ferry service is launching between Ilfracombe and Swansea next Spring.
Councillors were relieved when he told them: “I dearly want to add more towns around the Bristol Channel to our service and Burnham is still seriously being considered.”
“I know that historically there have been ferry and commercial hovercraft services operating from Burnham, running to Barry, so it is possible.”
However, while he welcomed Sedgemoor District Council’s £80,000 project to repair Burnham’s crumbling jetty, he admitted that mooring a ferry alongside the structure “is an issue we are still looking into.”
He added: “The sand has built up around the structure and large quantities would have to be taken away for us to use it on a regular basis.”
“If the sand were to be removed then it’s possible. Large ships have moored alongside the jetty in the past.”
Burnham town councillor Cllr Neville Jones, who is a keen backer of the ferry coming to the town, said: “I hope you do all you can to support Burnham soon – it is positive that your talks with Sedgemoor regarding the project are continuing,” but he said it is “disappointing” that the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has not provided any support of the service.
Cllr Jones added: “A new jetty is being built at Hinkley Point to help people working on the new power station to get there by ferry. I think Burnham could benefit from the work over there with a rise in population during the construction work. Having a ferry link in place here would certainly help them and bring more prosperity to the town.”
Cllr Ken Smout asked whether the proposed Severn Barrage would have any impact on the ferry service. Mr Marrow said he thinks the plans will help the ferry service, adding: “There’s lots going on around the Bristol Channel, with possible wind farms, tidal power generation projects and a new nuclear power station, so people will be moving around a lot and that surely means a greater need for ferries.”
Mr Marrow said he hopes to announce more news about the ferry service’s expansion plans next year.
