The final touches for Oban’s new £1.6million harbour building are being completed this week.
Argyll and Bute Council’s area committee for Oban Lorn and the Isles heard an update on the project yesterday.
Councillors agreed to keep the name simple and endorsed a proposal to call it Oban North Pier Harbour Building.
It has been built on the site of the former White Building ferry ticket office to provide facilities for visiting boats using the council’s new pontoon development.
The harbour building will also welcome passengers from visiting cruise ships.
Its facilities include showers, toilets, changing areas and secure lockers. Additionally there are four office spaces, two on the mezzanine floor and two on the ground level, including a harbour master’s office and an office for the pontoons operator.
There are two additional commercial spaces, one already let and one room available for
hourly rentals for meetings and presentations.
The investment is part of the council’s Chord project (Campbeltown Helensburgh Oban Rothesay and Dunoon) to rejuvenate the waterfront towns.
Kirsteen Macdonald, Oban Chord project manager, said: “The building is due to be completed this week the formal sign off or hand over will be this week or the week after.
“I expect it to be open to the public this month. Local business TSL have been outstanding contractors.”
Lead Councillor for Oban Lorn and the Isles Elaine Robertson said: “It is looking really impressive, I’m looking forward to seeing it in operation.”
Ms MacDonald added: “It will take four to six weeks until the harbour master and other businesses can move in
“We have managed to secure a permanent let with a new business coming to the building. We are in negotiations at the moment. As a result we needed to have an address created.
“We want to attract people from outwith the area and to do that we wanted to keep the name as simple as possible.
“It has to say what it does on the can.
“It would have been nice to call it something that means something to the people of Oban but to attract visitors it has to be simple.”
Councillor Robertson said: “It is really exciting times. This summer will be a testing ground. The word will get out and it will get busier and busier.”
