Shaping the future of Falmouth Harbour
Our vision is to be the UK’s best Harbour to invest in, live beside and visit.
Falmouth Harbour is looking to the future to ensure the Harbour remains relevant and resilient for the next generation of harbour users, fully supporting leisure activities and the changing needs of the commercial marine industry.
The masterplan for Falmouth Harbour starts to explore how the Harbour might develop over the next 20-30 years, how we might enhance services, improve access, grasp new opportunity from offshore renewables and better serve the needs of our customers
The ideas in the masterplan for Falmouth Harbour have been shaped by a feasibility study. This identified a need to re-establish a bustling, vibrant and attractive water’s edge destination and connect historic harbourside assets, vessels and the open views across the estuary whilst maintaining services for existing harbour users.
The masterplan sits within the context of creating more and better quality jobs, which could be achieved by encouraging local businesses to invest in growth, attract more visitors to Falmouth throughout the year and encourage external investment into emerging opportunities such as renewable energy technologies and alternative fuels.
Development Programme
As part of the masterplan’s Preferred Option, five development packages were identified. One of the key projects is the construction of a 100-metre piled breakwater pontoon in Falmouth Harbour. This facility would provide a vital link between vessels and onshore services, supporting a wide range of maritime activity.
Falmouth needs modern facilities that offer reliable and resilient support to vessels and their crew; this will include the potential for 100% renewable shore power to allow charging of hybrid and electric vessels, future and existing fuel delivery, crew transfers and critical maintenance or repairs.
The pontoon would enable facilities in the heart of Falmouth for commercial vessels e.g. a new generation of small Offshore Support Vessels for offshore renewables, a growing trend in Superyacht visits, Tall Ships and major maritime events.
Environmental Credentials
Over the past 18 months, Falmouth Harbour has made substantial progress in delivering its sustainability plan, guided by the third iteration of our evolving publicly published Sustainability Action Plan available via the Falmouth Harbour website.
Our overarching goal is to become a leading advocate for sustainability in the maritime industry by supporting policy shifts and showcasing best practices through our own operations.
Falmouth Harbour was awarded Best Medium Most Sustainable Organisation at the Cornwall Sustainability awards in December 2024. In 2025 we were shortlisted for the British Ports Association Sustainability Award and won the award for best SME Port.
We recognise the developments we are proposing will have impacts on the local marine environment and are committed to understanding impacts and working with stakeholders to minimise these as much as possible.
All stages of the proposed development will require a Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Marine licence. The licencing process will require a full assessment of impacts and include a formal public consultation to assess the sustainability of the development in line with the SW Marine Plan
Next Steps
Taking the Project Forward
We want to hear your views. Please complete the survey below.
This project is still at a very early stage, and we want to share how the process could unfold.
- Exploration licence: The first step will be to apply to the Marine Maritime Organisation for a licence. This would allow us to carry out site investigation works.
- Site investigations: If the licence is granted, we will begin exploration to assess whether installing a new pontoon is feasible.
- Community engagement: Throughout this process, we will continue to engage with our customers and the wider community, ensuring your views and feedback help shape the project.
