Following the monthly Board Meeting of Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC), here is an update on the latest developments at the Port.

Following a recruitment process to appoint new Commissioners because of end-of-term retirements and in accordance with Newlyn Pier and Harbour Orders 1906 to 2010 and the Port Marine Safety Code, Neil Brockman and Godfrey Adams have been re-elected to serve further terms of office.

Neil Brockman has a lifetime of maritime experience as a decorated retired coxswain of the RNLI Penlee Lifeboat, a fisherman and skipper of Cormorant Cruising, which offers responsible wildlife-watching trips at sea.

Fish merchant and Director of Trelawney Fish Ltd, Godfrey Adams brings extensive knowledge of the fishing industry to the Board.

Neil and Godfrey are joined by two new Commissioners: Nick Howell and Nathan de Rozarieux.

Nick Howell has spent most of his working life as a fish merchant and pilchard processor in Newlyn. He has also ably served NP&HC as a valued member of its Advisory Board, which helps to communicate to local residents the Commissioners’ vision to transform Newlyn into the UK’s primary fishing port.

Nathan de Rozarieux brings 30 years’ experience of managing fisheries, seafood supply-chain and marine environmental projects for a wide range of clients across the public, private and charitable sectors, and is also a Trustee of the Fishermen’s Mission.

“We are delighted to strengthen Newlyn’s Board of Commissioners with such wide-ranging experience, underpinned by a passion to deliver our ambitious vision to support the fishing industry by improving infrastructure and upgrading facilities for both the catching and processing sectors,” commented NP&HC Chairman, Rob Wing. “We thank Neil, Godfrey, Nick and Nathan, as well as our long-standing Commissioners, for their invaluable insights, time and unwavering commitment.”

At the July Board Meeting, NP&HC also received a presentation from St Ives-based architects, Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole, about the proposed design of the Newlyn Marine Skills & Resource Centre, which will be funded by the UK Government’s Town Deal Fund as part of its Levelling Up agenda to deliver regeneration plans.

The Newlyn Marine Skills & Resource Centre will create a much-needed centre of excellence for learning and developing maritime expertise in Cornwall, and a public consultation will follow to enable stakeholders and the wider community to comment on the initial designs before the project is taken to the next stage, the dates of which will be announced on Newlyn Harbour’s social media platforms.

The Commissioners are also considering how best to enhance the entrance to Newlyn Harbour – in particular, the area surrounding the war memorial, the road between what was the Fishermen’s Mission and the war memorial, and Barron’s Square, as it was previously known. A timeline will be announced for this project when ideas and plans have been formulated.

In terms of ongoing maintenance at Newlyn Harbour, the ship hoist is now fully operational and major structural repairs have been completed.

The first phase of a resurfacing project has commenced at North Quay to ensure the resilience of Newlyn Harbour’s infrastructure and further phases will be planned during the next 12 months. The Commissioners’ commitment to the planned replacement of wooden pylons, which form the chafing pieces for vessels to lean against on Mary Williams Quay, will be continued in the coming months. Coated steel structures faced with fully-recyclable high-density polyethylene will be installed to significantly extend their durability when compared with traditional timber.

“As well as investing in Newlyn’s infrastructure to enhance and preserve it for the future, we are proud to invest in our people too,” adds Rob Wing. “Newlyn Harbour is now an accredited Living Wage Employer, which enables our staff to earn more than the government minimum, based on the cost of living.”