Probe into Ardglass marina

Probe into Ardglass marina

27 April 2016

THE Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the running of Phennick Cove marina in Ardglass.

The Commission has agreed to set up an inquiry after formal complaints were made by local councillor, Cadogan Enright, and South Down MLA, John McCallister.

The dispute centres around the control of revenue generated by the marina and whether the money should be used for community projects in the village or kept to refurbish and repair the marina.

It is believed there are several hundred thousand pounds in the marina’s bank account and it generates approximately £60,000 a year in revenue.

The dispute has been rumbling for several years but the Charity Commission has now decided that Phennick Cove Developments, which operates the marina, is a charity and the management of the marina should be investigated.

Phennick Cove Developments was set up in 1996 by Ardglass Development Association (ADA) to develop and build a marina as a major regeneration project. The limited company was needed to apply for the various loans and grants which were provided to build the £1.58m marina.

The 80-berth marina was eventually opened providing facilities for visiting and local boats including an amenity building with an office, laundry, kitchen and showers.

However, the profits generated by the marina have been kept by Phennick Cove Developments for the upkeep and repair of the facility and not made available to Ardglass Development Association which believes the money should be used for village projects.

There is no suggestion of any financial irregularity or that any money is missing.

Councillor Enright said he was “delighted” with the outcome and said successive chairmen of the ADA have attempted to assert community ownership of the marina but lacked a legal means to enforce community control.

“The lack of a Charities Commission in Northern Ireland over the last 20 years left no official body available to process their complaints without resorting to the courts. Concerned individuals would have had to go to the High Court to assert the community’s rights – and most ordinary people don’t have the £20,000 or more of spare cash to take on such a case,” he said.

“I believe that Ardglass Development Association, as the original recipient of the grant aid for the marina, should manage the surplus from the marina on behalf of the community.

Mr McCallister said the Ardglass marina project should be run in the same way as Portaferry marina is managed with surplus profits being reinvested into community projects.

“If the assets of Phennick Cove Developments belong to the Ardglass community, it should be able to copy the example of the Portaferry Development Association and buy up derelict property and create new social and economic opportunities for all. This is a model of good community development,” said the MLA.

“In Portaferry, in addition to their marina, they were able to buy and restore a heritage building to house a Tourist Information Office, a 13 unit light industrial park, a restaurant and hotel — all owned for the benefit of the local community, creating jobs, attracting tourists and improving the prospects for the town.”

“If the funds arising from Ardglass Marina were paid over to other local community organisations, they would be able to apply for match funding from a wealth of potential funders in the same manner as surplus funds in Portaferry can be leveraged for new projects.”