Leigh Port Regeneration

PLANS have been approved for major works designed to future-proof Leigh’s fishing port for generations.
The £14.8 million regeneration scheme is scheduled to begin in October, after Southend Council’s planning committee approved the application in late July.
The much-anticipated project is set to last 18 months, and will bring major improvements to part of Leigh’s historic Old Town by enlarging and modernising the port, improving access for fishing boats, enhancing safety, reducing flood risk and improving water quality.
The regeneration includes constructing a new quay wall, resurfacing the quay and carrying out limited dredging.
The larger, straighter quay will improve access for fishing vessels and increase the number of berths from 11 to 12.
Plans for the improvements have been in the pipeline for more than a decade, receiving a major boost in early 2024 when the Government announced £14.8 million in Levelling Up funding.
However, some residents have expressed frustration over how long the project has taken to get underway, including former fisherman and retired Leigh councillor Peter Wexham.
Mr Wexham told Leigh News: “We’ve been fighting to get this done for about 25 years, meeting with MAFF and then when it was DEFRA, as well as Fisheries officers, Government Ministers Natural England, and finally getting the FLAG (Fisheries Local Action Groups) money, which investigated what improvements needed to be done.”
Mr Wexham added that he feels the development of the scheme has been unnecessarily “dragged out.”
“The only ones that have gained so far are the consultants, and with costs rising over the last five years the amount of dredging has been reduced from the original plan,” he added.
Under the approved plans, dredging will create a deeper berthing pocket and access channel, designed with enough width to enable vessels using the channel to pass to the south of moored fishing vessels at Leigh Port.
Around 4,880 cubic metres of sediment will be removed, but the planning documents admit that the dredging footprint has been reduced from the “more visible east side of the port”.
The application states: “The initial submission included further dredging in the channel to the east of the port adjacent to the sea wall, but this has now been omitted from the scheme.”
Mr Wexham stressed the importance of regular maintenance dredging, following the completion of the works, in consultation with Natural England, to prevent the Creek silting up again.
The port will remain operational throughout the estimated 18-month construction period, with temporary mooring, storage facilities and a site compound at Leigh Marshes Car Park.
The scheme aims to improve safety, secure the future of Leigh’s fishing industry, boost the local economy, reduce pollution through improved drainage, increase resilience to climate and tidal impacts, and improve access for fishing vessels.
Councillor Matt Dent, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture, Music and Tourism, said: “Any investment in Leigh is hugely welcome.
“The town has always been a popular destination with a strong appeal to visitors, and I’m confident that, once this regeneration project is complete, it will enhance that appeal even further and become another feather in Leigh’s cap.”
Pictures: Site Location Plan & The existing Leigh Port pictures from the SCC Planning Portal.
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