Memebers of a small boat club perched on the edge of Larne Lough have that sinking feeling this morning as storm clouds gather over their picturesque horizon.

For if their fears prove well founded, it could mean the end of the club — one of two on the lough — after more than 80 years.

And concerns surrounding controversial development plans by Larne Harbour Limited could also provoke an angry backlash from the conservation and environmental lobbies.

The company is owned by P&O Ferries Division Holdings Limited, a member of the Dubai-based World Group, one of the globe's largest container terminal operators.

They have just submitted a planning application for "the reclamation of land" covering an area of 3.9 acres.

Part of the proposed development includes "extending the marshalling area over the land currently occupied by Larne Boat Club".

"If this goes ahead, we're sunk," club secretary Mervyn Dickson told Sunday Life.

"Mind you, we've had our suspicions about this for some time.

"Our current lease had been running for some 50 years and it seemed strange when Larne Harbour Limited suddenly started to demand we sign a new one.

"When we saw the proposed lease, it would effectively have taken away any rights we have."

But club members are convinced the development application masks the company's real intentions — to ultimately build a jetty for cruise liners.

It is a claim angrily refuted by Larne Harbour, which stressed in a statement that it had no plans for a jetty and therefore no dredging of the lough was "anticipated".

The lough is designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area and also a Ramsar site.

It is a haven for wildlife, particularly Brent geese, a protected and endangered species, and the Roseate tern.

In fact, a high population of the world's Roseate terns nest on the lough's Swan island.

One eminent environmentalist told us: "Any significant dredging near this corridor could be catastrophic."

The boat club's slipway is leased from the Crown Commissioners who, before granting the application, insisted on an ecological impact survey on the effect of laying moorings in the area.

"We're a small club with about 50 members and we have put in a lot of work to transform the clubhouse over the past four years," said Mervyn.

"But Larne Harbour Limited is determined to see the back of us and while they may be part of a global operation, we'll fight this tooth and nail because we believe we have right on our side.

"However, if the proposed development is approved, it won't just be us who suffer. The seabed will have to be dredged to a depth of at least 20 feet to allow a boat to turn and dock.

"Apart from anything else, can you imagine what that will do to the lough's wildlife?"

In a statement last night Larne Harbour said: "There are currently no plans for a jetty as the proposal deals solely with the reclamation of areas of land and sea. As there are no plans for a jetty, there is no dredging anticipated. A full environmental assessment has been carried out prior to submission of the planning proposal."