Highland Council and CalMac have been told to find mitigations and bring the costs back to the table ahead of the closure of Uig pier for five months this winter.
After a meeting with the Scottish Government’s transport minister yesterday, the community has hit home its concerns about the closure of the pier this winter.
Tensions were heightened due to the recent disruption to the network which impacted the loss of business to islanders.
The planned closure from October 10, will make Uig pier unusable for more than five months.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan has said he is “deeply concerned” in light of recent disruption to the route.
Uig, on Skye, is the main transport link between the Uists, Harris and surrounding islands.
Frustrations vented
Islanders have vented their frustration about the plans, accusing the transport minister of not listening.
Yesterday a meeting between Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth and Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan along with representatives from island communities, CalMac, Highland Council, Transport Scotland and Western Isles Council, discussed the arrangements which are to be put in place during Uig pier’s closure this winter.
The pier is due to be closed from October until March 23 for essential repair and development work.
During the meeting, Highland Council and CalMac outlined several potential mitigation options for the period during which Uig pier is due to be closed this winter, but emphasised that there were additional risks and costs associated with each of the potential options.
The Western Isles MSP, along with others present, stressed the monumental financial losses which will be borne by island communities over the closure period as things currently stand, and that this needed to be fully considered when mitigation options are being assessed and agreed.
Mr Allan emphasised that the current proposals for the outage simply do not command public confidence, and were arrived at before the recent and persistent problems on the island routes.
‘Deeply concerned about the situation’
After the meeting, Mr Allan said: “While I appreciate the continued efforts to identify solutions to the difficulties which will be experienced by island businesses and individuals throughout Uig pier’s closure period, I remain deeply concerned about the situation.
“Public anxiety around the proposals has only been increased by the severe and frequent disruption to Harris and Uist’s lifeline ferry services that communities have been forced to endure in recent weeks and months.
“It is positive that the transport minister continues to engage constructively on both this issue and the wider ferry network resilience problems.
“I hope that the costings and logistics for the mitigation options outlined yesterday can be clarified as quickly as possible, as this will allow the necessary decisions to be taken so that passengers and businesses can finally have some degree of certainty about their options for the months ahead.”
‘Continuity measures’ under consideration
A CalMac spokeswoman said: “We have prepared a number of service continuity measures and additional mitigations to support local communities affected by the Highland Council’s closure of Uig Harbour. These options are all currently being considered by Transport Scotland and Ministers.
“We appreciate the closure presents significant difficulties and continue to work with all parties to support the needs of local communities during this period.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The transport minister is acutely aware of the community concerns in relation to the planned Uig harbour closure and was pleased with the constructive nature of the meeting with stakeholders.
“Whilst this project is ultimately being led by the Highland Council, the Minister stressed that Transport Scotland will continue to work with all partners to consider further mitigations which the Government might be able to support.”
Highland Council’s economy and infrastructure committee chairman Ken Gowans said: “We are exploring every avenue, along with partners and stakeholders, to maximise the possibility of a positive outcome for all concerned.
“The council fully appreciates that concerns remain around the impact of the closure on local communities and businesses. The closure period for the Uig project is required to enable safe and efficient completion of the essential works.
“The clear focus of the project remains the replacement of life expired infrastructure, improvement of capacity, reliability and resilience of the port at Uig for the longer term benefit of the routes to the Western Isles.
“Highland Council and the contractors continue to explore all options to reduce the closure period where practicable, and is working closely with the Transport Minister, Transport Scotland, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and CalMac to confirm the mitigation options and service continuity measures.”
Conversation