A new board could be set up to oversee the running of the all tide landing which has been shut due to it needing repairs.

Last month we reported how an estimated £60,000 is needed to repair the walkway and floating pontoon.

The turnstile gate is also broken, meaning boat owners can get through it without having to pay, so a lot of fees have not been collected.

It is owned by Queenborough Yacht Club (QYC) and at one stage it was suggested it could be transferred to the Queenborough Harbour Trust, but this did not go ahead.

Now, the possibility of setting up a new board for the all tide landing is being looked at after a series of meetings.

Alan Phillips, Queenborough Town Council’s representative on the existing board said that the companies that came before Aesica and Peel Ports were originally part of the board but now those groups were “no longer interested” and may not be included.

Instead, members of Swale and the town council could be incorporated.

Mr Phillips said: “Things are slow but the Harbour Trust has done a reasonable job of managing the harbour and if we can work together it can only be for the betterment of the harbour and the public.”

Swale councillor Pete Marchington has said the prospect of applying for an interest-free loan from central government to pay for the repairs has also been put forward.

He said: “We proved it in 2003 to 2008 the all tide landing is actually quite popular if it is well attended to.”

Geof Reed, spokesman of Queenborough Harbour Trust, said the group would be pushing for an interest free loan to stump up the cash to repair the all tide landing, but said it may have to be from a community lending scheme at an “advantageous rate”.

Cllr Marchington and Cllr Phillips said that an arrangement whereby the yacht club owns the landing and the harbour trust runs it remains a prospect, but it is understood this is still under discussion.