The fact that rockets might soon have an easier time getting to space from Uist than local people trying to get the mainland seems like a bad joke.
But this month, as ferry cancellations across the Outer Hebrides continue to mount up, and with the new ferries from the Scottish Government still nowhere in sight, it was announced that controversial plans for a spaceport in North Uist had been approved. Scolpaig could soon be home to one of the UK’s first spaceports, due to begin operation from late 2024.
That’s right – satellites might be launched as early as next year. Ferguson Marine insists that the new ferries will be ready by then, but good luck finding any islander who has faith that that’s true. With delay after delay announced over the past five years, any trust in the company sticking to their deadlines has long since been lost.
For me, and for many other people on Uist, it feels like a kick in the teeth to watch a project as ambitious as a spaceport progress at at least the same pace as plans for the very basic need of transport that doesn’t constantly break down.
Of course, the Outer Hebrides’ dire ferry situation isn’t the fault of the team behind the plans for Scolpaig. While it can be difficult to see £1 million go to a project that will have less of a direct impact on the community’s quality of life, it’s not as if the spaceport is taking money away from ferry construction.
It would be absurd to not want any flashy developments to go ahead on Uist while we wait for reliable ferries. Life goes on, after all.
But that’s just the problem: every aspect of life on the islands has been touched by the ferries crisis. When a visit from a loved one falls through again or the gaps appear on supermarket shelves, it’s impossible to see the ferries as just another individual issue.
A boost to the community – or another blow?
The celebratory nature of the announcement feels especially uncomfortable. To say that the Scolpaig spaceport hasn’t been welcomed with open arms would be an understatement: over 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for an end to the project, citing concerns over the environmental impacts.
The rockets will produce a huge carbon footprint, and the site is just 2km from an RSPB nature reserve. At a time when people on Uist are fighting to preserve their culture and community, is it really the moment to cheer on firing rockets from the heart of the home of some of our most precious wildlife?
A project as high-profile as a spaceport should make me feel like Uist is finally being given the spotlight it deserves. Instead, there’s a part of me that can’t help feeling like the massive companies behind such schemes are looking at these vibrant islands as if they are just empty plots of land.
We’ve been told that the spaceport will bring new jobs and a boost to the local economy, but without one of the most basic needs a community has – a way to travel and connect to other areas – any benefits will only be temporary at best.
People who come to work won’t stay if they can’t visit family and friends
People who come to work at the spaceport won’t stay if they can’t easily leave again to visit family and friends. Uist’s struggles aren’t down to a lack of available jobs – just ask the multiple cafes and community centres across the islands that have had to close their doors due to lack of staff.
Unless the Scottish Government steps up to make life on Uist sustainable again, as it has been promising to do for years, projects such as the Scolpaig spaceport are simply (to use a particularly apt metaphor) a case of rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.
I hope that by next year anyone who wants to see Uist’s first rocket launch will be able to catch a ride there on a ferry that won’t break down
I hope that I’m just being cynical. I hope that by next year anyone who wants to see Uist’s first rocket launch will be able to catch a ride there on a ferry that won’t break down, or be called away to serve a route that has been calculated to need it more than we do.
Only time will tell, of course, if those satellites and rockets really will make it up there. After all, people on the islands are used to promises being broken.
Eve McLachlan is a community reporter for The Press and Journal, based in the Western Isles
