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The battle over plans for a former ferry terminal

Giancarlo Rinaldi
BBC Scotland News
BBC A woman with greying blonde hair in a dark jacket with a pink fleece underneath stands in front of Stranraer harbourBBC
Janet Jones says the Stranraer lorry park plans could hurt wider regeneration efforts

Standing on top of the railway bridge near Stranraer station gives two very different views from the town.

On one side is the sweeping coastline of south west Scotland and a striking vista out across the sea.

On the other is a sprawling industrial site left behind by Stena Line's decision to move operations a few miles up the coast about 14 years ago.

A battle has been taking place over the fate of a slice of that land which is seen as central to further reviving Stranraer's fortunes.

A slice of abandoned and overgrown land with a rail track down one side and the sea next to it with lorries in the distance
The lorry park would be on land left unused after the town's ferry terminal closed

In one corner is haulage giant Manfreight which wants to turn the site - on a temporary basis - into a lorry park.

It said it could play a "critical role" in supporting the ferry route from Belfast to nearby Cairnryan while also helping the economic revival and regeneration of Stranraer.

The company said the area was a "cornerstone" of its operations which contributed about £7m-a-year to Stena Line and underpinned local jobs and trade.

It added that it employed about 60 lorry drivers locally - generating more than £2.5m in wages and spending in the community, with hopes to double that workforce.

A run down piece of industrial land with tarmac and concrete and grass growing up between the cracks
Manfreight said its plans could unlock economic potential for the town

"Our employees live locally - they support shops, schools, trades, and services," the firm added.

"We believe in growing with the community, not just operating in it.

"This is a quieter, cleaner, and safer use of the land than its historic port operations.

"It offers a way to unlock economic value now, while preparing Stranraer for the future."

A man with grey hair in a grey fleecy top stands in front of the harbour wall in Stranraer
Romano Petrucci said the site was not the right one for a lorry park

Romano Petrucci chairs the Stranraer Development Trust and fears the lorry park could undo a lot of the work his group and others have been doing.

He said it would go against an ambitious place plan drawn up to develop the area to attract visitors.

That would include an expanded marina, a water sports hub which is currently under development and improved walking and cycling links.

"For us to kick-start this regeneration and try and build it, and expect people to come into the 210 new berths in their nice yachts and look on to a lorry park, is going to be a real challenge," said Mr Petrucci.

"We're 100% behind a lorry park but it cannot go there - it's the wrong place for it."

He said the fear was that temporary approval would ultimately become permanent and effectively halt the wider plan for the waterfront.

Janet Jones is project manager of Creative Stranraer, an arts organisation which is also part of the regeneration scheme.

She too said they did not want a lorry park planted on what had the potential to be "the most beautiful part" of the town.

"This is just crazy and any logical person would see the blight that that would have," she said.

"Not only that, it's a slap in the face of all the work and effort that lots of people are putting into this town with great passion.

"We can make this town so much better than it was when the ferries were in town, so long as we don't have a lorry park on our coast."

A white fronted hotel with a large number of windows behind a low stone wall and trees with the sign North West Castle Hotel almost obscured by plant life
The North West Castle Hotel sits across the road from the site

The North West Castle Hotel looks out across the site and has also lodged an objection - mainly on the noise issue.

A statement said it was uncertain about the number of vehicles using the facility, what the hours of operation would be and the impact of floodlit parking.

It added that, given the bigger plans for the whole waterfront, it was hard to understand why the proposal was "even considered" in a residential area with a 20mph speed limit.

A for sale sign on Stranraer waterfront advertising the waterfront and east pier as a "major mixed use opportunity". The sign is in front of a car park with various vehicles in it under a cloudy sky.
The area was left behind after Stena Line moved its operations up the coast in 2011

David Hope-Jones represents hundreds of businesses as chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA).

He said they had "huge concerns" over the impact of seeing "the beautiful waterfront turned into an industrial zone".

According to John Fenwick, trustee of Stranraer Water Sports Association, the proposal "flies in the face" of what local people have been trying to achieve.

"The siting of a lorry park in the very centre of the development, miles from Cairnryan and major roads shows a total disregard for all but the interests of the freight company," he added.

A meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council's planning committee decided the lorry park could go ahead after a lengthy debate by eight votes to seven.

It was given with a number of conditions, including the clean-up of the site once permission expires after three years.