CONTENTIOUS plans to redevelop the Fish and Duck Marina in Little Thetford have been submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council.

The owners of the marina intend to close the facility for 12 weeks while improvement work is carried, with 75 boats that are permanently moored there told they will have to move out and will not be allowed back on a permanent basis when it reopens.

In October, families living at the marina told the Ely Standard it was a “travesty” and that some families had been left with nowhere to go.

According to the owners, James and Davina Harvey, the marina has become “tired”, parts of it are “rotting” and the structure is in need of investment in order that it is able to continue.

In their submission to the council, the owners said: “The marina structure however is looking and feeling tired. Jetties built out of wood are starting to rot and become unstable. Some have had to be cordoned off.

“There are numerous health and safety risks that have to be managed. The marina structure now needs investment in order to enable it to continue.”

The owners also added that the way the boats are moored, parallel to the jetty, was inefficient, reduced the marina’s capacity and made management of the jetties difficult.

Under the plans, the marina would be expanded and redesigned to allow boats to moor perpendicular to the jetty while the internal area of the marina would be increased from 6,500sqm to 7,500sqm.

Other changes would allow almost double the number of boats to moor at the facility, in Holt Fen, generating, the owners say, extra income and allowing greater control of mooring space.

A decision on the plans is expected within the next eight weeks. To view the plans, or to have a say, visit www.eastcambs.gov.uk.