Kircubbin Harbour is at real risk of being lost to neglect.
The restoration of Kircubbin Harbour has been the Number 1 priority of the local community for decades. 

Finally, after years of stonewalling, the owners of Kircubbin Harbour have formally agreed to release the property to Ards & North Down Borough Council. 

The community is not asking the Council to pour rate-payers money into the restoration of the harbour.
Rather, we are asking the Council to adopt the harbour, and facilitate the grant applications, and utilise Council officer expertise to manage the long-term project, which can be tackled in bite-size chunks. 

If remedial action is not taken soon to bolster the integrity of the harbour, there is a risk that the deterioration could accelerate catastrophically.
Simple cost-effective solutions to arrest erosion, such as sandbags, would have an immediate benefit. 

Kircubbin is a working harbour: presently home to two commercial fishing vessels; and it is a frequent haven to visiting leisure craft.
These activities naturally benefit the wider Peninsula. 

The slogan on the new sign welcoming people to Kircubbin says, Haven on the Lough. This slogan is not just a cheesy catchphrase: it states a fact. 

Kircubbin is the only viable harbour on the western seaboard of the Ards Peninsula. 
Kircubbin Bay offers safe berth and mooring, (compared to the Irish Sea harbours that are frequently windswept, and surrounded by notorious reefs). 
Kircubbin Harbour is the only location on this coastline with deep water close to shore. 
Kircubbin Harbour (when dredged) can safely accommodate vessels with a draught of up to 3-metres. 

Funding is available from multiple agencies, including:

• Dept for Infrastructure, because of the risk to the A20.
• Historic Environment Division offer grants to assist restoration.
• Capital funding is available from National Lottery Grants for Heritage.
• Funding may be available from the National Trust, who own much of Strangford Lough foreshore.
• Dept of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs have an interest because of the fishing industry that depends on Kircubbin Harbour.
• And, capital development funding is available from Tourism Northern Ireland.

Kircubbin Harbour enjoys a central location on the shores of Strangford Lough; and, the multiple official designations attributed to Strangford Lough offer many untapped opportunities for developing tourism and leisure within the Borough, (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; Marine Protected Area; UNESCO Ramsar site; European Marine Reserve; Marine Conservation Zone; and Area of Special Scientific Interest). 

We do not expect Kircubbin Harbour to generate working profits for the Borough; however, it is clear that restoring Kircubbin Harbour will offer benefits to the Borough through the wider potential for tourism and leisure activities. 

Following other major multi-agency grant-assisted projects at Bangor, Donaghadee, and Portaferry, we have high confidence in the Council’s ability to facilitate the restoration of Kircubbin Harbour.
We believe that the Council can tackle the challenging task of acquiring the necessary grant funding, and facilitating the restoration of Kircubbin Harbour. 

And we believe that the Council can succeed in this restoration without it becoming a burden to the rate-payers of the Borough.