An ageing customs dock at Ordnance Island could be soon replaced after a planning application was made this month.

The submission, lodged on behalf of the Ministry of Public Works and the Environment, proposed the demolition and reconstruction of the site.

Planning documents said that the dock was more than 30 years old, at the end of its usable life, and repairs were not considered to be “economical or durable”.

They explained: “The intent of this proposal is to demolish the existing dock and reconstruct, largely within the same footprint, to meet the current and future needs of the Customs Department, pilot boat operators and the Corporation of St George.”

The application said the new dock would better align with adjacent structures and create space for an additional “dinghy dock” space to allow mariners to visit Customs without taking up berth space.

The documents added: “The open-piled structure reduces impact on the seabed, and the open-slat skirting allows adequate light penetration for marine organisms.”

The planning application said that doing nothing was considered unacceptable as the existing dock was a “growing safety liability”.

A floating dock was considered for the site, but a pile-supported approach was found to be better suited for the operational requirements of the yacht reporting centre, while inquiries failed to identify an alternative berthing site that would meet the needs of the operation.

It was reported last summer that plans to restore the dock, which has been out of use since April 2024, were “well under way”.

A government spokesman said in June 2025 that a series of consultations and assessments had taken place, including multiple site inspections and cost analyses, and that temporary safety measures were completed in May 2025.

He added: “The final design will allow for the docking of larger vessels, the accommodation of multiple berths, and provide dedicated dinghy access on the inner face.”

In December, Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security told the House of Assembly that the repairs were expected to cost $350,000 in response to questions from Robert King, the Leader of the Opposition at the time.

Mr King suggested that fewer than one in ten vessels were being searched because of the lack of facilities, but Mr Weeks said that the claim was “simply not true”

While it was said at the time that the work was expected to begin this month, during the budget debate it was stated that funding for the project had not been included in the Ministry of Public Works and Environment’s fiscal allocation.

Mr King wrote in an opinion piece this month: “The dock is crucial to our border security infrastructure, and as such a two-year delay for repairs, no defined plan and no budget allocation demonstrates a serious failure of leadership and oversight.”