Queenborough Harbour Trust is a properly constituted, non-profit-making company with CIC (Community Interest Company) status. It is charged with running the mooring services at Queenborough.

Not as easy to answer as you might think!

Queenborough Harbour Trust leases the Harbour Office in South Street and the quay, including the painting and the scrubbing berth up to the start of the fishermen’s’ quay, as well as the dinghy park and the concrete barge from Swale Borough Council.

The bed on which the majority of the moorings in the Swale rests is rented from Queenborough Fishery Trust who have established Queenborough Harbour Trust as their agents for the moorings that run from the northerly entrance of the Swale to Swale Bridge.

Queenborough Harbour Trust now owns outright the All Tide Landing and the attached pontoon.

When Swale Borough Council announced in 2012 that they intended to stop running the loss-making moorings operation, a group drawn from the local community committed to maintaining maritime services in Queenborough formed themselves as the Queenborough Harbour Trust and successfully bid to take over the running of the historic harbour.

Originally Swale Borough Council had intended that the Trust would be granted a lease of 25 years to operate and manage the harbour, however in line with other recent asset transfers, they have agreed to a 125-year lease

The purpose of the Trust is to continue developing the Queenborough Harbour maritime services to the benefit of the local and maritime community.

The primary business goal is to develop the harbour moorings and services as an attractive location for mooring holders and visitors. This will help to ensure its long term viability and support the local business community.

Queenborough Harbour Trust does not make any profit. Any surplus generated is invested back into the development of the harbour.

For many years, Swale Borough Council operated the Harbour at a substantial loss. Since taking over the mooring services, Queenborough Harbour Trust has operated at a (small) surplus, which has been ploughed back in to the Harbour’s operations.

The Trust has invested in improving the maintenance of the moorings. Previously they were only inspected at three-year intervals, but now the moorings are maintained annually in line with best practice.

We have implemented a free trot boat service for the benefit of mooring holders and visitors.

Since the Trust took over the operation of the Harbour, visitor numbers have nearly doubled in less than three years. We now have more than 1600 visitor overnight stays every year.

Queenborough Harbour Trust has taken over the ownership of the All Tide landing and completed a full renovation.

Queenborough Harbour Trust applied for and were successful in being awarded a substantial Government grant to install a sixty metre walk-ashore mooring pontoon.

We now have two dedicated trot boats in service – Sheppey I and Sheppey III.

A free Wi-Fi service is available to mooring holders and visitors.

Now that the basic infrastructure has been improved, we are developing the services that the boating community expects. The development of easy access to power, water and fuel are vital, as is enhanced security facilities.

With the increase in mooring holder and visitor numbers, we want the Harbour to be seen as a ‘destination’, not just a stopping off point. To this end we will be working with Queenborough Town Council and Visit Swale to encourage visitors to enjoy the local attractions, boosting the current 5,000 annual visitors who arrive by boat. 

Users of the harbour benefit from the improved services on offer and as visitor numbers increase, so the local community will benefit from their spending power.

On taking over the Harbour, our first priority was to update safety equipment and the general governance of all operations. This resulted in new safety equipment for operators and employing operational personnel that are suitably qualified. It also meant that we needed to sell one of the harbour boats that had high operating costs and refit the other to make it more suitable as a trot and general support boat.

For the harbour to be viable in the long term, it requires offering over twice as many moorings as it had been left in service by Swale Borough Council. A programme is in place to develop the moorings and has started with new shoal and the pontoon walk-ashore moorings. The plan is to consolidate and develop more pontoon moorings.

One of Queenborough Harbour’s greatest assets is the All Tide Landing (ATL). Suffering from sporadic maintenance, the Trust has managed to raise loans and has completed a full refurbishment of the ATL walkway – this is a significant financial commitment that the Trust has taken on.

The Trust’s future projects look to provide new and improved facilities for harbour users, including toilet and shower facilities on the new pontoon, basic victualling and engine fuel. We are investigating how best these may be provided.

Queenborough Harbour has suffered from chronic underinvestment for a number of years. The Trust continually seeks to access the funds which will enable it to supply the amenities and services which other areas take for granted.

Queenborough is extremely fortunate to benefit from exceptional, courteous, and knowledgeable full-time harbour operators, an excellent part-time book-keeper, well led by a Harbour Manager. This team is supported by the team of Directors/Trustees and Friends of Queenborough Harbour who volunteer their time and expertise.

The Trust welcomes suggestions on how to improve the harbour services. Please talk to our harbour staff, ring 07456459754, write to Harbour Masters, South Street, Queenborough, Kent ME11 5AF or email info@queenborough-harbour.co.uk.

We really welcome all those who wish to see the further development of Queenborough Harbour.

As our facilities grow and improve, so does the level of maintenance required to keep everything safe and in good working order. Volunteers have helped to lay a water pipe along the pontoon, assisted in pressure washing, installed CCTV, set-up Wi-Fi, set up a Harbour Library and provided free loan of a boat trailer.

If you wish to become actively involved by volunteering your time and expertise, either on the water or ashore, you can do so by joining Queenborough Harbour Volunteers.

Please talk to our harbour staff, ring 07456459754, write
to Harbour Masters, South Street, Queenborough, Kent ME11 5AF or email info@queenborough-harbour.co.uk.