A picturesque Moray port could be closed unless it lands a Brussels cash lifeline.
Local authority chiefs have tabled a bid for European funding to secure the long-term future of Findochty harbour.
Fears are growing that parts of the tiny refuge will have to be sealed-off for health and safety reasons unless repairs are carried out crumbling pontoons.
Pictures of the port with the hilltop church overlooking the water are used to attract visitors to the region across the world.
The council has now issued a rallying call to harbour users and urged them to have their say on its future.
It is drawing-up a new vision for Findochty because European Fisheries and Coastal Communities fund money cannot be used to pay for like-for-like repairs.
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald, who is also chairman of the Findochty Harbour advisory group, said: “At the moment the pontoons are well past their sell-by date. It really needs to get sorted.
“If we don’t get the funding and the council has not got the cash then I would have great concerns. Parts may have to get sealed-off for safety.”
Council bosses will unveil plans for revamping the pontoons at the port at two meetings in the village on Saturday.
Repair bills for the harbour have been estimated at more than £500,000 – but with the local authority only prepared to spend £107,000 on the upgrades, hopes are now being pinned on landing EU funding.
Last night, Ashley Mowat, chairman of the Three Harbours Association, which represents Findochty as well as Portknockie and Cullen, backed the council’s action plan for the landings, which he described as the “hub of the community”.
He said: “I would like to see them build on what’s happening at the harbour already, perhaps to increase the number of berths to increase the people coming to the harbour – which will help make a dent in the backlog of repairs that are needed at all three harbours.
“It’s mostly local boats that are there at the moment. I don’t if there are a lot of visitors. I’m sure that’s one of the factors Moray Council will be looking at in their plans.”
There is currently a waiting list of about 80 craft waiting for a berth at the harbour.
Councillor McDonald said: “It can’t just be about leisure users because there are creel boats that use the harbour too, so it has to take account of different interests.
“Ramps could be put in for access but that would affect the working boats who would prefer not to have a pontoon up against a wall.
“One of the things I have been anxious to see is extra car parking. If we’re going to have extra pontoons for the boats then we have to make space for them to get here.
“The only thing we don’t want is to spoil the beauty of the harbour.
“It’s probably the most-used photograph for tourism in Moray.”
Moray Council’s harbours manager Duncan Brown stressed time was of the essence for users of the port to have their say about what it will look like in the future.
He said: “The timescale is tight in relation to submitting the funding bid to the European Fisheries Fund and we want to get input from harbour users and local people prior to the detailed application being made.”
Two meeting venues have been arranged to allow as many locals as possible to have their say.
Saturday’s events will run from 10am-noon at the Howf at the harbour and at Findochty’s village hall.
