‘All jigsaw pieces in place’ for ferry to reopen by summer

The borough council says it has “all the jigsaw pieces in place” to reopen the West Lynn ferry by summer – if not earlier.West Norfolk Council and Norfolk County Council worked together last summer to assess the structural integrity of the infrastructure, and were jointly undertaking remedial works when more significant defects became apparent.These led to the ferry’s temporary closure in January this year – and it has remained out of action since.

Now, a borough council spokesperson has said: “We continued to work together to overcome a number of technical and operational issues, and to design and fund a solution that would allow the ferry to reopen.“We have worked closely with, and supported, the ferry operator throughout this period.“We now have all the jigsaw pieces in place to move forward. We have established a deliverable set of measures that will allow us to undertake interim repairs of the infrastructure on both sides of the river and allow the operator to implement some operational measures with the aim of reopening the ferry in the summer, if not sooner.”

Cllr Michael de Whalley, cabinet member for climate change and biodiversity – a portfolio which includes the West Lynn Ferry – said: “Firstly, I wish to empathise with how frustrating the ferry closure has been for users of the service, but the borough council has made safety paramount in its efforts to reopen it. “There are a number of key elements, each of which had to be addressed separately on both the King’s Lynn and West Lynn sides.“The most significant being the impact of the Rennie Jetty, which is situated a few inches alongside the West Lynn steps, which is in a poor state of repair. “The jetty is an historical asset in the river, about 190 years old, and which has passed through a number of river authorities in its history.“There are some minor works for the operator to do, which we hope will be completed in the next few days and once done, we will push forward with our programme of works, and as they are tide related, only then will we be able to give a timeline.“I want to thank colleagues at Norfolk County Council and the conservancy board for their kind assistance as well as officers at West Norfolk for their commitment to reopen our historic ferry service as soon and as safely as possible.” Both borough and county councils have agreed to support promotion of the ferry reopening nearer the time, to help it return to or exceed pre-closure passenger numbers.In addition, the borough council voted in February to support medium-term improvements to the infrastructure of up to £150,000, to help towards design options and costs for the next stage that will secure a sustainable, long-term future for the ferry.James Wild, the North West Norfolk MP, said: “The ferry is a valued service and I welcome the plans to get it back running in the summer.“Many constituents have contacted me since it stopped in January and I’ve raised it regularly with the local councils and I am grateful for their efforts alongside the harbour master, the Conservancy Board, and others.“I will also work with them on longer term plans for the service.”