SOUTHAMPTON has already bid goodbye to the British Powerboat Trust, the Steam Tug Challenge and now it looks like the famous tug/tender Calshot, courtier to the Queens, is also required to relocate or be scrapped.

The dream Maritime and Aviation museum planned for within Southampton docks never made it off the drawing board, sadly.

Red Funnel ferries is also to relocate its base of operations, freeing up the Royal Pier site for redevelopment in the form of more restaurants, bars, high-end apartments, retail space and an upgraded Mayflower Park.

One wonders for how long the steamship Shieldhall will remain unaffected, or will that too have to find a new berth?

ABP is big business for the city, both in passengers and freight, but unlike other UK ports, which have made a heritage quarter part of their overall scheme, Southampton doesn’t appear to value heritage in the same way.

The maritime and aviation history that Southampton can boast of is unsurpassed and would be the envy of other cities, but sadly we lack the vision to do anything meaningful with the wealth that we have, to our detriment!

The ill-fated and loss-making SeaCity museum seems to be what we will be, unfortunately, saddled with for years to come.

The Southampton story is currently in disjointed pieces, just waiting for an author and publisher to put it all together, and present the final result in a magnificent piece of architecture befitting a proud and historic city. A viable visitor attraction? You bet!

Richard A Jacob

Southampton