By Violet Brown
THE depth of decay to the historic Kircubbin harbour has doubled after Storm Bram wreaked havoc on it along with the rest of the Ards peninsula coastline last week.
After two large holes opened up at the end of the 260 year-old pier, part of the pier wall collapsed and erosion came within yards of the main road, appeals have been made to Ards and North Down Council to step in to save the pier before it is washed into Strangford Lough.
It is estimated it could take around £245,000 to repair and restore the structure which is currently in private ownership.
The most recent tidal onslaught has brought the deterioration dangerously close to undermining the integrity of the A20 main road through the village and only a small section of the sea wall remains standing.
The damage has crept up to nine feet from the carriageway and it could get closer with other storms predicted for this season.
Kircubbin and District Community Association has worked tirelessly for many years to secure the future of the harbour and actively seek a solution to the continued deterioration of the structure.
A £10,000 grant was secured from the Historic Environment Fund to make emergency repairs to the harbour and protect the A20, but as the damaged area has increased by 100% it is believed the amount required could now be double that figure.
If additional funding is not secured, the community association plans to go- ahead and install protection to just half of the devastated area.
The owner of the harbour is prepared to give the harbour to the council but there is believed to be some reluctance within the local authority because of the potential cost of maintaining such an old structure in the years to come.
If the council was to take over the harbour, it is believed it could externally source 100% of the funding needed to restore the pier without putting an additional burden on ratepayers.
A deputation from Kircubbin and District Community Association made a case to the council in June 2024. Then the council took almost a year to agree on specifications before a full and detailed structural engineering survey could be commissioned.
This £12,000 survey was paid for by Kircubbin Regeneration Programme, and was delivered to council in September this year.
The item was discussed by council behind closed doors earlier this month, but the council has remained tight-lipped over what it may do to progress the situation.
Earlier this week, a council spokeswoman said the local authority ‘will not be providing a comment on this matter’.
“We appreciate the public interest and will share updates when appropriate,” she said. Meanwhile Kircubbin harbour continues to weather the storms, with the slow movement from the council further risking the survival of the monument.
Brian Bailie, chair of Kircubbin and District Community Association, said there was a great feeling of urgency within the community to protect and preserve the harbour.
“We have done everything we can,” he said. “It would be a shame if after 260 years it was lost.” Mr Bailie added: “As Strangford Lough is a protected area, once the harbour is repaired it will not need the same level of maintenance as other harbours within the borough”.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Infrastructure dismissed fears there is any risk of the A20 road being undermined.
“Officials have assessed and carried out safety inspections of the A20 Portaferry road in the vicinity of Kircubbin Harbour and there is no evidence of any damage or risk to the road or the department’s section of the sea wall adjacent to the road,” she said.
