Planning consent is being sought for a leisure marina in Sutton Bridge.
Lincolnshire County Council has been working on the £900,000 River Nene scheme for years and has now submitted its plans to South Holland District Council.
The development would create 110m of new commercial moorings pontoons and 60m of leisure moorings along West Bank.
Paul Wheatley, the county council’s group manager economic development, said: “Sutton Bridge is something of a forgotten gateway into Lincolnshire.
“Through the development of the marina we aim to reverse this by creating an arrival point for boaters and an interesting attraction for those passing on the A17.
“We hope the development will provide a significant boost to the local economy, something that will benefit businesses and residents alike.”
It is anticipated that the leisure moorings might cater for up to 20 boats (a combination of those owned by local boaters and visiting craft), whilst the commercial moorings will ensure the pilot boat can remain in Sutton Bridge, thereby protecting the viability of the river navigation.
Each mooring point would provide boaters with electricity and water connections at the tie-up point. A car park will allow marina users to leave their cars safely off the road whilst tending their boats.
The county council has appointed Drake Towage as the main contractor and hopes to see construction work begin in “late autumn”.
A spokesman said: “We anticipate that the benefits to the local economy from having the marina will be enhanced visitor numbers (to boater events), increased use of local shops, pubs and restaurants by boaters and, ultimately, increased opportunities for locals to establish boaters to serve the boating fraternity.”
The plans allow for the retention of an existing refuelling pontoon, with the potential to extend the commercial and leisure moorings by a further 152m at a later date.
The marina will be owned by the county council and managed by The Port of Wisbech, which already manages a similar facility, Wisbech Yacht Harbour.
Landowners involved are The Environment Agency, The Henry Smith Charity and KFF Potatoes.
