Crisis? What crisis?
Executive silent on Dunoon Pier problems
AS the Scottish Parliament breaks for summer this week two crucial questions for Cowal remained unanswered.
A decision on the preferred bidder for the Dunoon-Gourock route, which was supposed to be announced last spring, is now expected to be announced during the recess - raising fears that it will not be what ferry campaigners have been fighting for - an unrestricted service providing two competing routes into Cowal.
It is widely believed that the end product of the Executive’s deliberations will be a Western Ferries’ monopoly on both Cowal routes. Although theoretically ‘in the running’, CalMac has only two ships capable of serving the new linkspan, and both are committed elsewhere. Despite the assurances by Western’s MD, Gordon Ross, that a ‘users’ charter’ will protect the rights of customers, critics view the issue with real concern.
There was also concern among councillors that Tavish Scott, the Transport Minister, had failed to respond to a letter about the condition of Dunoon Pier.
The letter was written during the last week of May, and highlighted a consultant’s report into the condition of the pier.
The deterioration is such that, without urgent attention, Argyll and Bute Council will be forced to stop large lorries using the pier this winter because of safety concerns.
Councillor Brian Chennell, who chairs Bute and Cowal Area Committee, said that he was taking the matter up with MSP’s George Lyon and Jim Mather.
Cllr Chennell said: “A letter was sent to the Transport Minister in the last week of May by the leader of the council, and as that is nearly six weeks ago, it is of great concern that a response has not yet been forthcoming.”
Last week Cllr Chennell sent letters to MSP’s George Lyon and Jim Mather asking for their views on the fact that the new linkspan remained unutilised, over a year after its completion.
Replying, Mr Mather said: “I am familiar with the situation you describe and agree with you and your colleagues that spending large sums of money on a ‘temporary repair’, when the new Dunoon linkspan is lying unused is nowhere near a good use of public money.
“This is yet another example of the Scottish Executive’s failure to deliver an integrated and efficient transport system, given that it now has new linkspans but no new ferries in both Dunoon and Campbeltown.”
Cllr Chennell commented: “While I appreciate Mr Mather’s prompt response, his letter gave no indication of what he intends to do in Parliament to help our case.”
At the time of going to press Mr Lyon had yet to reply.


FIRST BABY LAUNCHED
The Community Maternity Unit at Dunoon General Hospital recently experienced its first waterbirth in their new birthing pool with the arrival of baby David Loughlin on 14 June at 2.28am. The inflatable pool at the Unit was recently purchased to allow mums-to-be to have another option for the birth of their baby.
JoAnne McGeachie, mum to David, said: “I found the birthing pool really relaxing and it made the whole experience of giving birth much less stressful.
“I would like to give a big thanks to all the staff at the Unit for making it possible for me to have a waterbirth in the first place and for all the care that they gave to me and David.
Fiona Manwell, Senior Midwife, added: “My congratulations to JoAnne and her partner David on the birth of baby David and I am delighted that both baby and mum are doing well.
“More and more expectant mums have been expressing an interest in having a waterbirth and that was one of the reasons that we recently purchased our new inflatable birthing pool.
“We already have a wide range of facilities available at the Unit and the birthing pool provides expectant mums with another option for their childbirth experience.
“I would also encourage any expectant mums, or women planning to have a baby, to call the Unit on 01369 704341 if they would like to find out more about our services or if they would like to pop in for a chat.”


Treated effluent – or raw sewage?
SCOTTISH Water’s plans for Innellan received another jolt on Tuesday when Bute and Cowal Area Committee turned down the company’s application to use part of the car park at Sandy Beach as a storage area for equipment.
And there were further storms on the horizon as the company’s opponents in the village continued to ask awkward questions over the efficiency of the plant’s operation.
There was still no common ground on the key argument. Will the completed plant be pumping raw sewage into the firth, as its detractors claim, or does it match the water company’s description of ‘treated effluent”?
Three of the most vociferous of Scottish Water’s critics, Jim Donaldson, Jimmy Duncan and Gilbert Pyke - dubbed the Innellan Three - have been fighting a war of attrition for months, and generated a petition against the water company’s plans to use the car park. It is perhaps a measure of Scottish Water’s standing in the village that the petition raised over 100 signatures.
Gilbert Pyke, one of the three, said that he had been in touch with both George Lyon and Jim Mather on the matter.
“There are serious issues arising here,” he said. “I have a response from SEPA, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency It states quite categorically that they will not allow the pumping of raw sewage into the Clyde. It also states that it will not accept a system which copes with both surface water and sewage.
“Yet that is precisely what Scottish Water are creating in Innellan. Let’s not have any illusions; they keep referring to a ‘treatment works’ which it patently obviously is not. It’s a separation plant, and a very inefficient one at that, and what they will be pumping out to sea is, by any definition, untreated liquid sewage,”
This however, was not the view held by Scottish Water.
Its spokesman said, with more than a hint of impatience; that the project at Innellan, “as I have explained numerous times, is a treatment system used in thousands of other locations around Scotland.
“Septic tanks are a form of treatment. It will be a vast improvement on the current situation, which is raw sewage landing on their beach. The septic tanks will produce a liquid effluent that will go out into deep water.
“SEPA’s concern about raw sewage is exactly why we are putting the septic tanks in.”
He added: “Our system at Innellan has been designed to cope with surface water as well as sewage. This is how we design pretty much all our projects around Scotland. I have no idea where the suggestion that SEPA will not accept such a system came from. I’m sure they would agree that it is a baffling comment.”
However in a letter to Mr Pyke, Jim Frame, SEPA’s Senior Environmental Officer, appeared to be quite clear in his contradiction of this view.
He wrote: “ I would consider the inclusion of rainwater or other surface water run-off into the inlet of any septic tank to be unacceptable and SEPA would seek to have any such water removed from the system.”


SWAMP SOCCER
The first ever Swamp Soccer UK tournament held in Dunoon last weekend was hailed a success by the organisers, with 21 teams from all over Scotland participating in the inaugural event.
“The response from the participating teams and spectators exceeded our expectations,” said Stewart Miller, the managing director of Swamp Soccer UK Ltd. “We have received numerous comments, telephone calls and e-mails from players, telling us how much they enjoyed themselves.”
The media coverage was also extensive. Footage of the tournament will appear on Sky Sports within the next few weeks, and the tournament will also be shown in 130 countries worldwide, reaching up to 300 million homes.
National and regional newspapers have also carried large features, including the Daily Record, The Sun, The Herald, The Scotsman, The Times, Sunday Express, Sunday Post, Daily Mail, Evening Times, Press and Journal, and many more. National radio coverage was also extensive, with the BBC featuring Swamp Soccer on at least five different programmes, including the Fred MacAulay show and BBC Sports.
The tournament itself had two ultimate winners. The mixed/ladies final was played between Real Mudrid and Owners Club VIP’s. Owners Club VIP’s secured victory with a 3-0 win. The men’s final was between Dunoon’s very own Bog Bags and Edinburgh Thistle. In a closely-contested game with no goals scored, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. After five penalties apiece, the game was still grid-locked. Sudden death penalties ensued, with Edinburgh Thistle holding their nerve and winning the ultimate prize. The winners received a trophy, individual medals and a Swamp Soccer t-shirt, with the runners-up receiving t-shirts as well.
There will be a second tournament in Dunoon in 2007, likely to be held in late June. The organisers expect this to be much bigger and even better than last week’s event. The winners of the 2007 tournament will represent Scotland at the Finland World Championships, which will be held in late July 2007. The prize will include free registration, free flights and free accommodation, worth over £5,000.