UPDATES have been given to the bye-laws which dictate how Porthcawl Harbour can be used by tourists and residents in the future, following a decision made by Bridgend Council at a monthly meeting.
The move will see a modernisation of harbour laws in the popular beach town, which date back as far as 1953, with Bridgend Council now acting in the capacity as the harbour authority.
The updates will cover a number of areas with regards to the waters around the town such as berthing, navigation, fishing, bathing, diving, and shoreline restrictions. It also outlines a new traffic light system that would allow for swimmers and vessels to use the area safely.
It comes after a public consultation that was launched in 2020 to get public feedback on the changes, with most residents concerns said to have been focused on maintaining areas where members of the public can safely swim and fish.
Officers who presented the report to council bosses said that the waters around Porthcawl were used by a variety of groups, for both social and commercial purposes as well as those taking part in a full range of coastal and water activities.
They highlighted the main changes to the laws which revolved around enabling people to swim safely, abiding by the rules of entering the lock gate, as well as making sure when people are fishing on the breakwater they remove their lines while boats are entering and exiting.
Cllr Neelo Farr of Porthcawl east central said: “I welcome this report. I think it makes it very clear to the people using the harbour what’s safe and what’s not safe. Hopefully we will get some signs up as well to ensure people are aware of where they can swim or not.”
The move to update the bye-laws was approved by council members at a meeting of full council in October, with permission granted for the local authority to authorise the affixing of the council’s seal to them.
