The official opening of the £30 million Brodick Ferry Terminal has been postponed for a second time due to the death of another prominent Arran landowner.

An opening ceremony was due to take place on Monday, November 27 led by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution Derek Mackay and Minister for Transport and the Islands Humza Yousaf. But a service of thanksgiving for Mr Stephen Gibbs, a prominent landowner on Arran, is due to take place on the same morning.

The terminal was expected to be operational and open to the public, however, as a mark of respect for Mr Gibbs passing, and due to CE marking issues, Caledonian Maritime Asset Ltd (CMAL) has postponed the opening.

The postponement is the second of its kind in the space of two months due to the death of a wealthy Arran estate owner. The opening was originally scheduled for Monday, October 23, but CMAL called the event off as it clashed with the funeral of a local aristocrat, 96-year-old Lady Jean Fforde.

CMAL has also confirmed that a defect relating to the automated door closure on the passenger access system still needs to be addressed to meet CE marking standards.

CMAL’s Head of Civil Engineering, Ramsay Muirhead, said: “The certification issue has created an unexpected delay to operations as we were preparing for handover. We are working closely with Adelte, the manufacturer, to find a solution as a matter of priority so that we can get the terminal up and running and open to the public as soon as possible.”

The extensive redevelopment project at Brodick Ferry Terminal represents a major investment of around £30 million, led by CMAL, with support from Transport Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Coastal Communities Fund.