Gravesend businesses struggling a month on from Tilbury Ferry closure

KentOnline / KMTV

Kent County Council and says it's working hard to secure its future.

Transcript

00:00Last month, the Tilbury Ferry made its last crossing between Gravesend and Essex.

00:05Used by commuters, school children and day-trippers alike, the ferry ceased running when operator

00:11Jetstream Tours said it couldn't secure long-term funding from Kent County Council.

00:16The service, which ran from morning to evening five days a week,

00:19transported 100,000 people a year.

00:22Without that footfall, businesses near the pier fear for their future.

00:27It's kind of killing us, because we were struggling really, before, anyway,

00:32like, you know, as you know, climate change, people online shopping and so forth.

00:37But now, without the guys coming over from Essex, we've lost so many customers, it's untrue.

00:44And people, like, obviously the passing traffic, because they would get off the ferry,

00:48this is the way they would come into the town,

00:50up and down this high street, and now we're not getting that at all.

00:53So, yeah, it's really detrimental, actually.

00:56I think myself and quite a few other businesses around here

00:58are actually thinking whether we can carry on.

01:00The Three Doors pub is the oldest in Gravesend,

01:03and sits right next to the entrance to the pier.

01:06It says foot traffic from the ferry made up 10% of its business.

01:10I think it's a very sad state of affairs, because there's so many people

01:15who utilise it for very different reasons.

01:19We have children come across here for school.

01:22We have cycling groups come through here.

01:24We have people from just across the way, across the water,

01:28who come and do shopping here, come and use the pubs, the restaurants.

01:33All that's now gone.

01:35But Gravesend Borough Council say they are working hard

01:38with Kent County Council and Thurrock Council to restore the service.

01:42I can't give a dateline as to when it will come back,

01:45but we are talking to various government agencies,

01:48Kent County Council, Thurrock and Essex,

01:51and meetings took place this week on the very subject.

01:54And we as Gravesend have been very central to trying to make that all happen.

01:59We want it back, and we're trying to encourage them

02:02to find the funding to make it happen.

02:04So you are confident then that maybe within the next year or so

02:09we will see a return of that service?

02:13I'd like to see that service return within that time scale.

02:16We do need to make sure whoever brings the service back

02:19can get the boats and the training and the proper health and safety practices in place.

02:24If they can achieve that within the time scale, that'd be fabulous.

02:27The sooner we bring it back, the better.

02:29Kent County Council told KMTV that it's disappointing

02:32that the Gravesend to Tilbury Ferry has had to halt its service,

02:36saying it's worked hard to secure an extension to the contract,

02:39but it has not been possible.

02:41The council says that following the results of its recent public consultation,

02:45it will continue to work to secure a sustainable long-term solution for the ferry.

02:49While KCC may be looking for another provider for the ferry in the coming months,

02:54it's clear businesses here in the Heritage Quarter

02:57are going to struggle without that additional footfall.

03:00Oliver Leaders of Stats reporting for KMTV.

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