RESIDENTS have had their first chance to have their say on major plans for a new ferry terminal on Southampton’s waterfront.

The images went on display to the public yesterday with those who turned out to get a look also able to get the latest news on plans for the Royal Pier site.

As previously reported the new ferry terminal is one of the key early steps towards making the dream of creating a £450m leisure and housing complex at the site a reality.

If the plans are approved Red Funnel will move its operations from its current base to a new site on Trafalgar Dock, freeing the site of its current base up for use in the main Royal Pier development.

The new, 2,100sqm ferry terminal will be more than 1,000sqm bigger than the firm’s current base on Town Quay and feature two cafes, a public terrace and offices.

It is hoped the new site would ease traffic congestion around the current site, bring the Red Funnel and Red Jet together at one site and could lead to a greater frequency of ferries leaving and entering the city.

The historic Calshot Tug is also set to be retained at the site.

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Dozens of residents had a look at the plans at an exhibition event at Westgate Hall in Southampton yesterday.

A planning application is set to be handed in this spring with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) bidding for £15m of Government funding for the work and linked improvements at Red Funnel’s East Cowes base.

The ferry operator is also set to spend £15m on facilities and its fleet.

It is also estimated the new ferry terminals could lead to up to 1,300 new jobs being created on the Isle of Wight and in Hampshire.

Plans for the wider Royal Pier site, which could contain a super-casino, hundreds of apartments and restaurants and retail outlets, are currently being drawn up.

Fresh consultation will take place next spring before an outline planning application is handed in towards the end of the year.

Charles Forsyth, from the Royal Pier Waterfront Company, the firm set up by developers Morgan Sindell and funder Lucent to see through the scheme, told the Daily Echo: “The overall feedback has been pretty positive.

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“I think we’ve very much heard the same that we heard at the last exhibition event in July.

“People are supportive, they are saying let’s do this but let’s do it right and make sure the heritage is showcased and respected.

“We’ve got a cracking team of consultants working through everything to come up with the very best scheme we can.”