In September 2023 Portgordon Community Trust Ltd started the process of recruiting a Consultant to carry out an updated feasibility study, business plan and options appraisal on the future of the harbour.

Tender documents were issued to a number of Consultants on 26 September, with a tender submission date of 23 October. Tenders will then be assessed and scored and a preferred bidder identified. At the same time a bid for funding the study will be prepared and submitted to the Scottish Land Fund by the end of October.  It is hoped that the outcome of the funding bid will be known by the end of November and, if successful, a contract to the preferred Consultant can then be awarded in early December with the study commencing in mid December.  

Included in the study will be a review of the harbour’s structural integrity, an updated market assessment of the demand for harbour facilities, a review of the regulatory requirements of running a harbour, a review of the financial viability of the harbour, further consultation with the community, and an examination into the alternative options for the future use of the harbour and it’s management and operation.  The appointed Consultants will work closely with PCT and Crown Estate Scotland on the study.

The detailed study will take around 7 months to complete, after which Portgordon Community Trust will take the findings and their recommendations to the wider community to ascertain the community’s preference(s), before discussing further with the harbour owners, Crown Estate Scotland.