Despite plans for a significant multi-million-pound investment in marine leisure in the Isle of Man, plans for a marina in Ramsey to be known as the 'marina at the crossroads of the Irish Sea' have met with significant objections.
As regular Afloat readers will know, Ramsey Marina Limited (“RML”) opened registration for expressions of interest for berths at the proposed site in February.
"The beach is a marine conservation area, a very sandy much loved free communal beach and is subject to fierce waves in the autumn/ winter months. 65,000 signed a petition opposing the plans", Ramsey Resident Ruth Gale told Afloat.
"I appreciate the benefits that added tourism could bring to the town but not at the cost of one of the nicest public beaches on the island", she said.
A petition to save Ramsey South Beach and the Marine Nature Reserve from destruction has raised 65,000 signatures.
The petition, entitled ’Stop the Destruction of the Ramsey Bay Marine Nature Reserve’ was launched by Facebook group ’South Beach Ramsey - Save the Bay’, after it was discovered the marina proposal was due to be re-launched last year.
The Ramsey Marina proposal would see full-scale dredging of Ramsey Bay, with reclaimed land used for the construction of a housing estate and marina on the public beach.
According to a 2019 DEFA survey, it is home to many important species of fish and aquatic plants, including eel grass, which thrives in the area and is 35 more times effective at carbon capture than rainforest trees.
The plans would see the beach between the historic Queen’s Pier and the Stone Pier given to private development.
Another resident, Josephine Sebastian told Afloat "the overwhelming majority of the residents of Ramsey do not want this marina. RML are proposing to build this abomination on most of the beautiful shallow sandy bay called south beach.
It’s the wrong place…in every sense".
The petition is here
