A new pontoon development designed to bring leisure craft right into Oban town centre has boosted the local economy by almost £1 million.
An independent review has revealed the North Pier pontoons and new harbour building have made a substantial contribution to the marine tourism offering of the town, and the wider Argyll and Bute area.
Argyll and Bute Council, which completed the project as part of a drive to regenerate its waterfront towns, considered a report on the subject during an online meeting of the newly formed Business Continuity Committee.
The report showed the pontoons have outperformed original forecasts and that the additional vessels and visitors they attract have made a positive impact to the local economy.
End of year figures for 2019 showed 4,196 boat nights were recorded, which councillors were told meant 17,326 additional visitors to Oban.
At an average spend of £47 person, this means an additional tourist spend in the town of £814,322.
These figures do not include passengers disembarking from cruise ships, which also make use of the pontoons.
The step-ashore facility, complete with 36 finger-berth pontoons and a concrete floating breakwater, opened for business in July 2017, offering access to Oban town centre for marine visitors.
And the harbour building provides showers, toilets, a changing area and secure storage lockers for maritime visitors.
There are also four commercial spaces including a harbour-master’s office, a shop, operator’s office and meeting room available for hire.
The developments have also created more than three full time equivalent jobs, more than anticipated.
This major project to maximise Oban Bay and harbour, part of the Chord (Campbeltown Helensburgh Oban Rothesay and Dunoon) town centre investment, is now officially complete.
Councillor Gary Mulvaney, Policy Lead for Financial Services and Major Projects, said: “The blue economy is vitally important to Oban and the wider Lorn area, including a number of economically fragile communities based on nearby islands.
“The new facilities provide a focal point for marine-based activity, providing a place of welcome at the North Pier to maritime visitors and businesses.
“The transformation is having a positive impact on the town’s tourism economy as we now have a high-quality welcome ashore at a prominent town centre location which means visitors will have direct access to Oban’s services and facilities.”
He added: “Obviously we are very disappointed that we were unable to welcome visitors to the pontoons this Easter.
“However, we look very much look forward to welcoming regular visitors, and new guests, back to Argyll and Bute when it is safe to travel again.”
The total Chord pontoon funding was £1.5 million with additional funding of £700,000 from the Scottish Government and £300,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
