New Tourism Minister Ewart Brown is pushing for a relocation of the docks to spur his dream of reinvigorating Hamilton's waterfront.

He hopes Front Street can feature boardwalks where restaurant diners can enjoy sea views while they eat.

Dr. Brown told The Royal Gazette: “We are well on our way to putting together a team to come up with a final vision for the waterfront, taking advantage of some of the ideas submitted in Sir John Swan's competition and to see if we can bring the activity from Front Street across the street and on to a boardwalk pattern as we saw in Monte Carlo and elsewhere.

“The same restaurants were there but they came across the street and got right on the waterfront.

“That provided them another opportunity to attract people, a different form of relaxation and dining.

“I think we have some exciting days ahead on the waterfront, I really do believe, once we can get the container ports properly relocated.”

Mayor Lawson Mapp said there had already been a presentation by an architecture firm on plans for the waterfront but he said careful consideration was needed because of the cost and importance of what was being planned which would affect generations to come.

He said: “I know the Minister would like an answer at least by next month but all of these things have to be carefully thought out. Funding has to be taken into consideration.

“But in the next couple of months we can make some sort of decision.”

Dr. Brown denied it would be a huge problem to relocate the port.

“We just have to work out the technical feasibility of doing it and make sure it's done in such a way that it is more efficient.

“We are having problems there now, some of which is connected to where it is and how congested it is.

“Today we have traffic problems. You should be able to work your container port without affecting a major artery of traffic.”

Dr. Brown said north shore areas of Devonshire and Pembroke were being looked at for possible relocation sites.

But Mr. Mapp said it was a question of logistics and predicted the docks would remain in Hamilton for the foreseeable future.

He said putting it in the east end might not work because of problems with the Causeway.

Stevedoring Services president Henry Hayward said putting docks on the north shore would expose them to the elements making unloading impossible in winter storms.

“There would be days when you could not work the ships.”

Breakwaters could stop the waves but not the wind, said Mr. Hayward.

He said it was possible to halve the amount of trucks coming out of the docks by removing Number Seven and Number Eight sheds which are used by forwarders who break down container cargo on the docks before moving it in trucks.

This could be done everywhere else in the world suggested Mr. Hayward and such recommendations have been made in various reports going back years.

Mr. Mapp agreed that Number Eight Shed, which is opposite Dismont Robinson on Front Street needed to be removed as the cramped conditions made it dangerous.

Number Seven Shed could then follow.

“I would like to think we can make a decision fairly soon, at least start with Number Eight Shed,” said Mr. Mapp.