Boat owners in Portgordon have been thrown a lifeline as they battle to hold on to their storm-damaged harbour.
The Crown Estate – which recently told skippers they would have to quit because of safety fears for the old pier – has come back with an offer to sell them the site for £1.
Last night, locals said they were considering the move and would be drawing up a business plan to try to save their moorings and boost the village’s fortunes.
Chairman of Portgordon Community Harbour Group, Lee Brown, who declared himself “gutted” last week, said the offer had given them fresh hope.
“We want to make a business plan for the future of the harbour with things like dolphin watching,” he said.
“There is a lot of life left in the village yet and if the harbour is shut down I don’t know what will happen.
“The group need to look at what funding is available and think long and hard about what we are going to do.
“What we really want is for the boats to be allowed back into the harbour while we continue to work closely with the Crown Estate.”
The Crown Estate, which owns the harbour, had previously given skippers until the end of September to find new berths, saying the area was no longer fit for purpose.
It followed damage to the East Pier during a blizzard before Christmas last year when a 40ft section collapsed into the sea.
The structure, which was decommissioned when the harbour was officially closed by an act of parliament in 1947, has continued to deteriorate in the months since then and residents fear a future storm could wreck what remains and lead to flooding in the village.
At a meeting in the village in May, locals were told it would cost £300,000-400,000 to repair – and that the Crown Estate had only recently realised it was responsible.
The body has now commissioned works to start in October – and come back to the boat owners with a way for them to stay on.
That would involve them taking up an offer, which has been made twice before, to transfer ownership into their control for the sum of £1.
Alan Laidlaw, rural and coastal portfolio manager for the Crown Estate, said: “The Crown Estate shares the community’s concerns about this issue and have worked with the Portgordon Community Harbour Group for several years to explore possible options.
“This includes an offer first issued in 2008, reiterated in 2011 and again this week to transfer the harbour to PCHG ownership. We will continue to work with local users to find a long-term sustainable solution.
“The Crown Estate has commissioned works to start in October 2014, dependent on weather and contractor availability, at a cost of between £300,000 and £400,000. In the meantime, the safety of the vessel owners and other users remains paramount.
“The harbour was closed by an Act of Parliament in 1947 and this recent request for boats to be removed follows the issue of a formal Notice to Mariners earlier this year – so this is not a new measure but a renewed attempt to protect the safety of users.”
About 20 boats, largely used for fishing, are affected directly by the move.
Johnny Dunbar a representative for the harbour user group said: “We would be open to all considerations.
“The priority is to repair the harbour wall.”