The reconstruction of the Cumbrae ferry slip will take around 16 months, it's been revealed.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), which owns the ferry terminal, has lodged documents with North Ayrshire Council asking the authority to decide if an environmental impact assessment will be required for the project. 

The design of the project has been revised in the past nine months, with previous plans involving replacing the slipway at its current site now having been superseded.

CMAL had originally planned a new temporary slipway south of the existing structure, with the new permanent slip built in the same location as the current one.

But CMAL has now revised its proposals, with a new set of plans doing away with the need for a temporary slipway altogether.

Instead, CMAL plans to create a new, permanent slipway around 27 metres to the south of the existing one.

Under the new proposals, the current slipway will remain in service until the replacement is fully operational.

CMAL says the current slipway, which was built in the 1970s, is "at the end of its useful life".

As well as replacing the existing slipway, CMAL's proposals include building a new marshalling area for vehicles and a dedicated zone for pedestrians as they wait to board the ferry to Largs.

The company says most of the construction materials for the project will be transported from the mainland to the site on a barge and placed using a long reach excavator or crane.

However, CMAL says that some material for the landward side of the marshalling areas may be transported initially by road and ferry.