DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott this week gave the go-ahead for Watchet's controversial £5.1 million marina development.

Mr Prescott announced he had approved a West Somerset District Council application for a Harbour Revision Order

The order will allow the council to close the town's harbour and change its use from commercial to leisure.

The decision followed a three-week public inquiry last November, when the council argued its case for building a 260-berth impounded marina as a step towards regenerating Watchet's economy.

The order was opposed by a coalition of anti-marina residents under the banner name SWAMP, and other individuals.

News of Mr Prescott's decision was given in a letter from Environment Department Minister Keith Hill to local MP Tom King.

Mr Hill said: "This has not been a straightforward case and we have had to consider the legal implications carefully.

"Having done so, we are convinced the environmental concerns were appropriately addressed and aired at the public inquiry and we should support the inspector's conclusions in support of the order being made.

"I trust the project will now be able to proceed and fulfil the aims of the harbour authority."

Mr King, a marina supporter since it was mooted seven years ago, told the Free Press: "I am obviously pleased we have a decision. Now they have got to make a success of it.

"The holding of the inquiry added a considerable extra period of time to the process which could have been damaging.

"However, I hope now we can go ahead with the marina, which I believe is the best hope of providing a useful role for the harbour and a contribution to the economy of Watchet and the area."

Mr King said Mr Prescott's approval of the HRO appeared to be unconditional, allowing the council to proceed without any strings attached.

He said the official decision letter setting out the reasoning behind the inspector's conclusions should reach the council today (Friday).

Watchet Regeneration Partnership chairman and Somerset county Cllr Fay Ross-Ward said the news would delight most people.

"There are people who are against it, but no-one has come up with any alternative suggestions for the regeneration of Watchet," she said.

"This is the best offer we have had and certainly all the money that has been put together for it is good for us."

Cllr Ross-Ward said the next partnership meeting on May 25 would discuss arrangements for a public meeting when marina contractors Dean and Dyball Developments Ltd would answer any questions.

She said the company wanted to discuss its proposals for housing development on the harbour's East Quay.

"I am certainly determined that when they come to determine what is going on the East Wharf the town will have a very great say in it," said Cllr Ross-Ward.

"That has been a big stumbling block for a lot of people, what is going to happen on there.

"We want an attractive development that will benefit the whole town. We have agreed to a small amount of housing there and it wants to be the most attractive kind we can get.

"At the moment it is a rather bleak outlook on the East Wharf. It will be good to have something nicer to look at."

Cllr Ross-Ward said regenerating the town's economy would involve far more than just development of a marina.

"We have all along been willing to have things on the agenda other than the marina, and we still are," she said. "If people want to come up with other ideas for the town as well, then we are still asking for those ideas."

Dean and Dyball chairman Martin Hirst said yesterday detailed design would take another couple of months to complete.

He expected construction work on site to start later in the summer.

"The marina should be open for business by the summer of next year," he said.

Mr Hirst said a scale model of the development was currently being tested in a wave tank in Wallingford, near Oxford.

The company would arrange a date when testing was taking place and the model would be available for people to visit and see for themselves.

Mr Hirst was unable to say when a planning application would be submitted to the district council with details of the East Wharf housing.

He said: "We have got to have consultation with the planners and it will have to go through the planning process.

"But certainly we think the most important thing is to get on with the marina and get that underway."

District council leader Cllr Steven Pugsley said Mr Prescott's announcement was the news so many people had been waiting so long for.

"Though much debate has gone on about the merits of this project, I believe it is definitely a positive step forward," he said.

"At the moment, it is just the first stage and there are still many different possibilities and options for the style and content of the development.

"I would like to reassure residents of Watchet that everyone's opinions will be listened to.

"This project is part of the council's policy of prioritising economic development as the starting point for increasing employment, retention of the local workforce, and improvement of skills.

"The marina development will have a positive knock-on effect throughout the whole Watchet community."

Watchet Boat Owners Association chairman Tony James said yesterday: "It could be the beginning of an exciting new era for Watchet.

"Now it is up to everyone to forget their differences and make sure this thing really works.

"We will have the first retained-water boat haven on the Somerset coast and already there is enormous interest among people who want to base their boats here and use the marina as a cruising staging post."

The association, which supported the council at the public inquiry, wants to play an active role in the management of the marina.

Mr James said he was seeking an immediate meeting with both the council and Dean and Dyball.

"The association is already turning into a much larger and more dynamic organisation capable of coping with the exciting new challenges ahead," said Mr James.

"We intend to be involved in everything from the start."