Transport Scotland - Ardrossan Harbour information: EIR release

Information requested

With regard to CMAL’s planned purchase of Ardrossan Harbour from Peel Ports Group:

1) What was the purchase price?

2) How much is it expected to cost to redevelop Ardrossan Harbour to enable it to accept the MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa vessels?

3) When are the redevelopment works expected to be completed?

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

1. All of the information you have requested is available from The letter issued and published by the NZET committee Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Transport Ardrossan Harbour – Provision of Cost Information 25 March 2026(Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport on Ardrossan Harbour). Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

2. CMAL will now reconsider the original design proposals and scope of works over the coming weeks and provide revised outline design options for areas such as the Arran Berth re-alignment and extent of landside works. These will be presented to Transport Scotland and Ministers as part of a revised Outline Business Case proposal and, subject to approval, the preferred scope will proceed to procurement. Project costs for the revised scope can only be confirmed when a contract has been agreed.

3. Work is now underway to review and develop the revised scope for a redeveloped Ardrossan Harbour under CMAL ownership. An Outline Business Case is expected to be presented later in 2026 when approval is expected to be sought to proceed to procurement on a preferred scheme. Work is expected to start in 2027 and take around 2 years to complete, depending on agreed scope and contract phasing. Project costs for the revised scope can only be confirmed when the design work is progressed and a contract has been agreed.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.