Plans unveiled to transform Consett Bay into multi-use fisheries, cultural hub

The government has unveiled advanced plans for a major redevelopment of the Consett Bay fishing facility, aiming to convert it into a modern, multi-use space for fisheries, recreation and cultural activity, with international technical support and community input shaping the final design.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw confirmed that the administration is moving beyond minor maintenance to execute a complete rethink of the facility. The transformation will be supported by international technical expertise, aiming to establish a modern standard that elevates the venue beyond a simple fish market.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Santia Bradshaw

The push for modernisation was underscored by Paul Standard, a resident from Martins Bay, who took to the microphone to outline severe logistical inefficiencies currently plaguing the facility. Standard detailed the gruelling daily routine of fisherfolk, who are forced to transport heavy catches using outdated, manual methods.

St John resident Paul Standard

“We have to use a wheelbarrow to push fish from the end of the jetty straight across to the market up an incline, turn left then turn right to go in the market,” Standard explained, highlighting the awkward structural layout. To resolve this, he proposed a complete reconfiguration of the building’s entrance alongside modern equipment.

“I’m suggesting laying out the market a little differently. Basically, just place the entry door right in front of the jetty and have some sort of maybe electrical tram or something that you can run alongside the jetty that you can just put your fish in on a click of a button or something. Fish automatically goes in the market.”

Standard noted that such an advancement would allow the tram to “come back out and service the other boats rather than have to wait on wheelbarrows”, drastically speeding up operations. He also emphasised that the system could easily transport heavy bags of ice back to the vessels.

Turning to the facility’s failing infrastructure, Standard called for an immediate upgrade to the current ice machine, calling it “old” and in desperate need of replacement.

“It not only services the fishermen, it services vendors as well—snow cone vendors, vendors that sell drinks and snacks at funerals and fairs,” he noted. Furthermore, Standard criticised the current ice storage unit, describing it as a “little 4×4 box we have in there that stores the ice… that is too small.”

Expressing hope for administrative action, he added, “I do have a lot of faith in our new minister… I’m hoping she doesn’t break my heart.”

Responding directly to the resident’s concerns, Bradshaw reassured the forum that community feedback would be a driving force behind the upcoming architectural designs.

Bradshaw, also the environment and national beautification minister, revealed that recent site visits with area MP Charles Griffith showed that the facility required a complete re-evaluation.

“When I visited the fish market, it struck me that we had a lot of more work to do than what I was even visiting at the time,” Bradshaw said. “Consett Bay to me lends itself to being developed as a space for recreation, for culture, for fisheries. The transformation that I see in that space for me is phenomenal.”

To achieve this, the ministry is looking to global leaders in fisheries management to secure the necessary infrastructure upgrades.

“I would have made an announcement a few days ago in relation to some conversations we’ve been having with the ambassador to Japan about being able to get some assistance from them in terms of technically to be able to look at the upgrades that are necessary,” the fisheries minister explained. “If you go and Google online you will see that Japan is gold standard in terms of fisheries, and for me coming to this ministry it has been about finding who is the best in class.”

Bradshaw confirmed that the partnership will specifically focus on replacing the ice machine and improving storage for fish when they are brought off the boats. Furthermore, a private company is currently drafting final designs for the jetty upgrades, which will be shared with the community once completed to ensure local stakeholder input is valued.

The government’s broader vision for Consett Bay also includes shifting vendor operations away from hidden ocean-side stalls where visitors cannot easily see them. Bradshaw noted that unless visitors already know where the vendors are, they simply turn around and leave, a design flaw the ministry intends to fix by changing the processing hall windows.

The restructuring will also focus on expanding accessibility to the site.

“There is also a need down there for a new entrance and exit because right now there is really one main road in and out,” Bradshaw said. “My view is that in terms of accessibility we have to make sure that we have another road… to ensure that we have a proper exit and entrance in two ways coming out of that particular facility.”

The National Conservation Commission has already entered the site to begin clearing and beautification efforts, and the government is hoping to acquire nearby land to expand parking.

Bradshaw emphasised that the environment is about the entire space and how people feel when they are in it, promising that the upgrades will introduce proper lighting and public bathroom facilities so that the general public can comfortably recreate and enjoy the reimagined space.

(RR)