Frustration grows as landslide crisis deepens
Inveraray is described as a ‘ghost town’; many Argyll businesses are losing money hand over fist; jobs are in danger; and travellers face a minimum 50 mile detour or are forced to take a ferry crossing to reach the Central Belt and beyond.
Such is the critical importance of the main A83 trunk road into Argyll that local businesses met earlier this week to demand decisive action to either re-open the road or find an alternative.
Debris from the landslip on Sunday October 28 was cleared within a day. Damage to the road due to undermining on the lower roadside has been shored up using several hundred tons of rock.
The road was clear over a week ago, so why has it remained closed for so long?
Scotland TranServ, the trunk road maintenance company, has been advised by engineers that the slopes above the landslip site remain unstable. Before full carriageway repairs can be carried out and the public allowed through the site, health and safety protocols dictate that action has to be taken to stabilise the hillside.
Meeting
At a meeting on Monday between Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson, Argyll and Bute Council Leader Dick Walsh and Scotland TranServ representatives, it was confirmed that action would be taken to instigate a ‘controlled’ landslip of the remaining material – with the aim of removing the immediate danger at this site.
Specialist contractors began jetting water at high pressure via two hosepipes at the source of the current landslip, high on the hillside on Tuesday - the intention being to liquidise lower layers of soil, thereby reducing friction and allowing gravity to pull large quantities of soil and rock down the side of Glen Croe.
Despite four days saturation with both hosepipes and heavy rain, significant movement has not yet been achieved, though some material had been shifted as we went to press.
Speaking after Monday’s meeting, Stewart Stevenson said: “Visiting the site today, I can see the sheer scale of the problem facing our roads engineers. I can understand the concerns of local people and businesses and the crucial importance of the road for the area. Let there be no uncertainty, the experts are working around the clock to try and make the road safe enough to reopen again.
“A helicopter has been brought down today from Inverness to help with that effort and to assist in moving more of the debris from the area, meanwhile TranServ continue to work as hard and as fast as they can. I share the hopes of local communities that the road will be reopened as soon as possible.”
Councillor Walsh said: “The meeting was very positive and was extremely informative. I was very impressed with the safety arrangements that have been put in place by Scotland TranServ. A controlled process will be initiated to remove the suspected slip materials estimated to be around 400 tonnes of material.
“Following this process the debris will be cleared from the road and the areas further inspected by Scotland TranServ Engineers. If everything goes to plan, the road could be opened by the weekend.”
Business Impact
Meanwhile, an increasingly angry and frustrated Argyll business community held a hastily-arranged meeting with Highlands and Islands regional list MSP, Jamie McGrigor on Tuesday at Cairndow.
Irritated by the fact that Monday’s meeting was held at the ‘south’ side of the landslip site, with no access allowed from the ‘north’ side, Fyne Ales’ Tuggy Delap quickly organised a meeting of her own to stress the urgency of the situation in no uncertain terms to the Scottish Government and elected representatives.
Over 30 people attended the Cairndow event, representing business interests from both East and West Loch Fyne, Kintyre, Dunoon and other areas - all keen to vent their frustrations.
The general view was that the Scottish government was not taking the matter seriously, one cynic suggesting that there were too few votes at stake in Argyll and the Islands to merit much attention.
Mr McGrigor stated his view that Scottish Ministers were under the misapprehension that viable alternative routes to the A83 were available. This, he said, was not the case - the A82 being too narrow, dangerous and badly needing upgrading, as is the Dalmally/Inveraray road; the ferry alternative also incurred extra costs and inconvenience. Leaving aside time, fuel costs, hassle and wear and tear on vehicles, the alternatives were not practical.
“This is not a time for scoring political points - this is a growing crisis”, he added. “To his credit, Jim Mather has not done this, and is doing his best to resolve this situation as not only a local MSP but a government minister”, Mr McGrigor concluded.
Questions were asked about alternative routes, with the ‘old’ military road quickly being ruled out as unfit for purpose, aside from also being at risk from landslips in places. The possibility of pressing the forestry road on the other side of Glen Croe into service was also discussed at some length. Forestry and timber transport specialist Ian Arnold stated that an investment of around £300,000 would be all that would be required to make this 3,500 metre road serviceable as an alternative - not a huge sum by road building and maintenance standards.
Estimates of the financial impact of the road closure by those present ranged from a 25 to 80 percent drop in turnover, to losses of £1,000 per day quoted by one haulage firm.
Staff are already being laid off and placed on shorter hours, and businesses around Loch Fyne say that they require urgent action to help them survive the winter.
The meeting concluded with the plea: “Don’t forget about us - all we want is decisive action to open the road or open viable alternatives.”
Emergency Services
The Scottish Ambulance Service has the same problems as other users - they can’t get through while work above the site is ongoing. A spokesman said: “We can get through with a Transerv escort, but not while the current work is taking place. We would have to use the existing long detours if access through the site is not possible.
“In a serious emergency, we have made arrangements for the Air Ambulance helicopter to be on standby”, he concluded.
Chief Inspector Andrew Mosley of Strathclyde Police said: “Much misinformation about the A83 has been circulating.
“A dedicated line from TransServ to Area Control at our Pitt Street headquarters has been established.
“In addition, a major incident command control has been set up. Members of the public can contact Strathclyde Police on 01369 763000 quoting incident reference SP200711011073. This incident will remain active until the A83 is fully open again and all factual updates regarding the road closure and reopening will be recorded and available from the contact centre. It is important that the public obtain accurate information about the situation.
“In the meantime, I am in very regular contact with local service providers such as Western Ferries, who keep me up to date with their own status. This will enable us to deal with any emergency situation that may arise.
“I am doing everything possible to ensure that the needs of the community - in particular the outlying rural villages - will be met.
“There is also long- term work going on to look at how best to handle road closures in general - for example in the event of road accidents.”
Latest
Scotland TranServ issued the following statement earlier this week: “The specialist geotechnical engineers and operatives from Scotland TranServ have continued work on site at the location of the landslip on the A83.
Specialist equipment was deposited on the hillside by helicopter on Monday afternoon as the slope is too steep for any other means. Working conditions at the site are very difficult and these are compounded by heavy rain showers and high winds.
“It must be stressed that engineering of this type is challenging and when dealing with unstable material no timescale can be given at this stage for an accurate estimate of a re-opening time.
“As always, road user and workforce safety will be the primary consideration. When the road re-opens, traffic will almost certainly be single file controlled by temporary traffic lights.”
A meeting to make a decision on opening the A83 was planned on Thursday as we went to press. The road will not however be opened up until, in the words of Scotland TranServ: “engineers are satisfied that the risk of a further landslip has been significantly reduced and the road is safe to run traffic.”


Top award for Loch Fyne Oysters
Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd (LFO) received the prestigious Highlands and Islands Business of the Year Award at a special ceremony in Inverness on Monday.
The Highlands and Islands Business Awards recognise the wide range of achievement of businesses in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland The Business of the Year Award was commended by a panel of judges chaired by Sir Angus Grossart and awarded to Loch Fyne Oysters for its contribution to the economy of the Highlands and Islands. The award was received on behalf of the employees of LFO by Bruce Davidson, Managing Director, and Bob Craig, Chairman.
“Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd represents the very essence of what the Highlands and Islands Business Awards are based on - local enterprise that ensures a thriving future while providing the highest level of care for environment, animal and society through sustainable business”, said Bruce Davidson, Managing Director.
“At Loch Fyne, we have never strayed from our Highland roots, and our belief in cherishing and honouring the sea is as strong today as when first expressed nearly seven hundred years ago by our Highland ancestors and used by us for our company motto – Nach Urramach an Cuan (How worthy of hounour is he sea). All of us associated with Loch Fyne Oysters are honoured to represent the Highlands and Islands with the Business of the Year award.”
Loch Fyne Oysters is an employee owned and run company employing 142 individuals. In addition to rearing oysters and mussels, Loch Fyne provides fresh fish, shellfish, Scottish beef, lamb and pork and operates The Oyster Bar restaurant, Shop and a worldwide Trade and Home Delivery service.


Gateway project - come along and find out more
Dunoon and Cowal residents are invited to a very special event in the Queen’s Hall, Dunoon on Thursday 22 November.
At an important public meeting, people will be asked to contribute their thoughts on an ongoing project to make Dunoon and Cowal the Marine Gateway to Scotland’s First National Park.
The area has faced many challenges in past decades and has generally risen to meet them.
Nowadays, changing demands and expectations from both tourists and residents present great challenges to businesses, but also offer opportunities to those who are prepared.
The groups and individuals behind the Gateway project want to harness these new opportunities by working together to make Dunoon and Cowal a great place to live and visit.
The whole process began in 2006, when lead partners Argyll and Bute Council, HIE Argyll and the Islands and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park jointly commissioned a report from Land Use Consultants. The resultant report identified the key strengths and weaknesses of the area and drew together a number of suggested initiatives to form an action plan.
The vision for the future has aims such as:
• Providing a top quality sense of anticipation and arrival from the Clyde estuary
• Presenting Dunoon as the beacon, hub and service centre for the wider Argyll and Bute area
• Promoting and celebrating the wider area’s unique and outstanding environmental and cultural heritage and
• Ensuring the availability of a wide range of quality accommodation and visitor facilities.
In delivering the project, four working groups were established at the beginning of this year, and these groups are now ready to reveal their ideas so far.
Get down to the Queen’s Hall on November 22 at 7.30pm, find out more and have your say.
Meanwhile, see next week’s Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard, when we will reveal a little more detail on the working groups’ suggestions to date.


POST OFFICE UPDATE
The Kirn community has united in a concerted effort to save Kirn Post Office, following the announcement that Post Office Ltd had included the location in its list of proposed closures last month.
Brian Chennell of Envirokirn has prepared a template letter listing various objections to Post Office Ltd’s decision. These include the economic impact on other local businesses and the village of Kirn in general; the social implications of removing a service that has been at the heart of the community for over 100 years; and addressing future needs such as increased housing and regeneration programmes. The letters can be signed and returned to Mr Chennell for forwarding to the National Consultation Team, or can be sent off individually.
“So far it is going reasonably well - over 300 people have asked for copy letters, and of those, 155 have been returned to me to be sent off,” said Mr Chennell.
“We have also written to MSPs Peter Peacock and Jim Mather, and have received positive responses.
“I have been in discussion with Argyll and Bute Council, which is also seeking public opinion about the proposed closures. The council will meet with Post Office Ltd on November 14, and it is imperative that they have as much feedback as possible. I am keen that people contact the council urgently with their views on the matter before the meeting next week.
“Copy letters are available at Black’s Bakers’ shops in Argyll Street, Dunoon and in Kirn village.”
Mary Wilson at Black’s Kirn store was determined to keep the campaign going. “The level of support from local businesses in particular has been very encouraging - they have been taking bundles of letters for their employees to sign.
“Feelings in the community are running extremely high. We are really hoping to make a difference and save the post office.”
The local Conservative Party held a well-attended Action Morning last Saturday in Kirn. Prospective parliamentary candidate Carolyn Brodie said: “Spending time outside Kirn Post Office on Saturday, it was manifestly obvious that this is a thriving post office, at the heart of the community. Post offices can’t be viewed simply in terms of their viabilty: they provide an essential service within our towns and villages and are an important source of information and support for people - especially the vulnerable - in our society.
“The removal of so much government business from our local post offices has left them fighting for survival. I am delighted to lend my support to the campaign to keep Kirn Post Office open.”
Hillfoot Street Post Office confirmed that it was not aware of any collective campaign on its behalf, but that individual customers had advised of their intentions to write to the consultation team.
Argyll and Bute Council’s Bute and Cowal Area Committee met earlier this week and the issue of post office closures in the area was on the agenda. Three of the proposed Argyll closures are within the area committee boundary - the two Dunoon offices and Gallowgate in Rothesay.
The committee looked at each case individually with a view to formulating a response on the issue and preparing for the forthcoming meeting with Post Office Ltd. A concern common to all three offices was that of the ability of the alternative post offices to cope with the displaced customers, with Gallowgate mentioned as a particular risk.
The criteria for proposed closure and the lack of opportunity for input has also been seen as problematic. Councillors pointed out that if Hillfoot Street was to close, then - under the “reasonable distance” guidelines used by Post Office Ltd - some Bullwood residents may have to travel further than two miles to their nearest facility, and that closure may therefore be in breach of the criteria. In addition the social and economic implications of the closure of all three offices would be considerable.
The committee decided to prepare a response based on the lack of criteria consultation, issues of capacity at the suggested alternative offices, the lack of economic rationale relating to the sites chosen for closure and future capacity needs, as well as the social and economic factors. All councillors were in agreement on the need to fight to save the post offices.
Anyone who wishes to lend their support to the campaign against the proposed post office closures has a variety of options. Collect a letter from Black’s Bakers; write directly to Sally Buchanan, Network Development Manager, Post Office Ltd, c/o National Consultation Team, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM; and contact Argyll and Bute Council before it meets with Post Office Ltd on November 14, at stephen.colligan@argyll-bute.gov.uk.