MARINA EXPANSION TO GO TO HEARING
The ambitious plans for the expansion and redevelopment of Holy Loch Marina have stalled again after a meeting of the Bute and Cowal Area Committee voted to continue the application and to arrange both a site visit and a discretionary hearing.
At Tuesday’s meeting, it was decided that, in view of the large number of responses to the application and the absence of Bruce Marshall, the councillor for the Holy Loch, a public meeting should be arranged in Sandbank, preferably at the village hall, to enable people to express their views. Councillors have also requested that more information on complying with the conditions for acceptance of the proposal be made available.
The plans for the enlargement of the marina were submitted to Argyll and Bute Council last July. These involve the infilling of a large part of the foreshore, including the former Robertson’s Yard, with material excavated from the seabed. The number of berths at the marina will increase by 300, located on nine floating pontoons and a floating breakwater will also be installed. A new bar/restaurant will be built on the shore, along with two blocks of retail units. An extra 361 car parking spaces will be provided and a new pier services building and ancillary offices will be constructed, along with new entrances to both the marina and timber pier.
Public opinion in Sandbank is believed to be split almost 50-50, with opposition to the plan, not surprisingly, coming mainly from those residents living adjacent to the marina. Supporters point out that the significant investment in the marina would provide a huge boost for the area in terms of jobs, tourism, recreation and business, a view supported by a number of businesses in the village. Objectors say that it would have a detrimental effect on the value of properties close to the site during the duration of the construction period, which could be up to 12 years. They also cite excessive noise, loss of views across the Holy Loch and restricted access to the foreshore as just some of the reasons why the development should not go ahead.
During the area meeting, Councillor Dick Walsh asked if extra information on a number of the conditions for acceptance of the planning application could be made available before a decision was reached. This included measures for the reduction of noise, the details of the lighting scheme and working practices during the construction phase and an assessment of possible contamination during dredging operations.
Councillor Walsh added: “While there is a large amount of information in the proposal about the marina expansion, I feel that the applicant should also supply a significant amount of information about the operation of the timber pier.”
Sandbank Community Councillor Alex Crawford, who attended the council meeting, said that while the community council was in favour of the expansion of the marina, there were a number of reasons why the Community Council was against the proposal as it stood. These included the infilling required for the project, the commercialisation of Sandbank by the creation of a timber port and the fact that a new path through the marina will meet the main road at its widest section, giving rise to safety concerns for anybody trying to cross the road. There were, he said, still questions regarding some residents’ legal right of access to the foreshore and also ownership of some of the land.
The secretary of Sandbank Community Council, Mia Crawford, said after the meeting: “I am pleasantly surprised that councillors took on board some of our concerns and have voted to continue the application while further investigation is carried out, particularly as there are still a number of issues that have not been addressed.”
Marina owner Matt Downs was philosophical about the decision. “We were told before the council meeting that it would probably go to a hearing, so this is not unexpected,” he said. “This is a democratic process and we must follow it.”


Dunoon set for Gaels
Following the successful staging of its first Camanachd Cup Final, Dunoon is now set to welcome thousands of Gaels to the 103rd Royal National Mod which is to be held in the town from 13th to 21st October.
The Mod returns to Dunoon after an absence of six years with CalMac as the main commercial supporters of Scotland’s premier Gaelic cultural festival since the Largs Mod held in 2002.
CalMac Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair said: “This is the second time since the turn of the century that the Royal National Mod has been held in Dunoon, right on our doorstep in the Clyde area.
“I am sure that the Dunoon Mod 2006 will be very successful and CalMac intends to play a very full part in the celebrations. We are all looking forward to welcoming customers on their way to the Mod on our Gourock to Dunoon service and we are sure that the Mod will prove to be every bit as successful as it was last time when held in Dunoon”.
Mod 2006 will see some 200 competitions and events taking place across a range of disciplines including Gaelic Music and Song, Highland Dancing, Drama and Literature. Shinty will also feature with the Mod Cup Final providing an Argyll derby between Strachur and Colglen at Dunoon Stadium on Saturday October 14.
This year’s Mod sees an increase in the number of individual competitors and also an increased number of entries on the last Dunoon Mod, with visitors and competitors coming from throughout the UK and from a number of different countries overseas including the USA, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Brittany and Sweden.
Calum Iain MacLeod, Chief Executive of An Comunn Gàidhealach, which oversees the organisation of the annual event, is looking forward to a return to Argyll which last hosted the Royal National Mod in 2003.
He said: “With less than two weeks to go until the start of Mod 2006, organisers and competitors alike are fine tuning their preparations and building up to the event, which I am sure will be an enjoyable celebration of Scotland’s Gaelic culture.
“Together with key organisations such as Caledonian MacBrayne, EventScotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council we look forward to welcoming all those visitors who will either be returning to Dunoon or visiting the town for the first time.”
Mr MacLeod also praised the efforts of the local organising committee which works on a voluntary basis in each Mod location. He added “The local committee in Dunoon, in partnership with An Comunn Gàidhealach, has been working on the planning for Mod 2006 for many months now and I am sure that all their hard work will result in a successful and enjoyable experience.”
Mod 2006 will open in the Queen’s Hall in Dunoon at 7pm next Friday, October 13, with the opening ceremony being followed by a ceilidh in McColl’s Hotel from 9pm featuring local singers and musicians.
The Massed Gaelic Choirs and local Pipe Bands supplemented by the Edinburgh Postal Pipe Band will bring Mod 2006 to a close in the centre of Dunoon on Saturday 21st October.
Mod 2006 programmes and tickets are available from the Queen’s Hall (01369 702800).


Sawmill’s future in jeopardy
PLANNING ISSUES THREATEN FUTURE OF BUSINESS
THE OWNER of a local sawmill claims that planning restrictions placed on his business by the National Park are threatening its future, and unless it is allowed to expand it will inevitably close.
Following the publication of an interview in the Dunoon Observer with the chief executive of the National Park Authority, Mr Mike Cantlay, local entrepreneur and businessman Peter Blacker wrote to Mr Cantlay outlining the situation at one of his businesses, Argyll Sawmills at Strachur.
Mr Blacker, who owns the Knockdow estate, has numerous businesses in the area, including the Coylet Hotel.
In his letter to Mike Cantlay, Mr Blacker points to the difficulty in getting limited planning permission to expand the retail element of the sawmill, a process which took two years.
However, the company has been told that its plan to develop part of the site into a garden centre to improve its viability would probably be turned down because, among other things, ‘it would be against the general presumption in the Cowal Local Plan which promotes the location of major independent retail facilities primarily in urban centres’.
Mr Blacker also enclosed a copy of the company’s accounts showing that it had lost money consistently over the previous four years, saying: “You will realise that these losses cannot be sustained.”
He had met with senior officials at the Park on many occasions, but had the clear impression that Argyll Sawmills and its future ‘appears to be very low down on their list of priorities’.
Commenting on the situation, the General Manager of Argyll Sawmills, Alan Gibb, said: “Peter Blacker has owned Argyll Sawmills for the last four years.
“ In that time he has invested a huge amount of money in equipment and soaking up the operational losses which the business has incurred.
“We’re a small sawmill employing seven people; our order book is healthy, supplying mainly fencing timber throughout Scotland.
“However,” he added, “as wholesale timber prices are very competitive in this market and we are competing with larger sawmills, who have millions of pounds worth of equipment, it is difficult for us to make money on the current wholesale prices.
Mr Gibb said that the message from their customers was they were looking for a wider product range such as hardware, tools, nails, stains and varnishes.
While there was a small shop on site it was limited in terms of the permitted range of stock.
Mr Gibb gave some examples in terms of the anomalies which existed: The planning permission which was granted is very restrictive and in many respects defies logic. For instance, we can sell timber barbeque tables and chairs but not the actual barbeque or accessories; we can sell timber planters but not ceramic ones.
Mr Gibb pointed out that in the Clyde Valley area there were seven or eight garden centres within a beautiful rural setting. None of them were operating with the sort of restrictions which had been imposed upon Strachur.
“We are operating in a similar rural environment - hence our request to the National Park to amend our planning consent to include the sale of plants and shrubs, which we feel is in keeping with our current product range in garden fencing, decking, and planters.”
However, the National Park’s planning officer has rejected the request stating that ‘the sale of plants and shrubs is more akin to a garden centre use which does not have a close association with timber and timber products’.
This was unduly restrictive, said Mr Gibb: “Every business has to move with the times and be as flexible and diverse as possible if it is going to survive, the Argyll Sawmills is no different. If we are not allowed some flexibility in the range of products we offer our customers then we will not survive.
“It’s as simple as that.
“Tying our hands with the restriction that 75 percent of our product must be timber or timber related will make the new retail unit unviable with the result being that the business will close.
“Apart from providing seven direct jobs in the community, the sawmill also provides a service to our customers both wholesale and to the public. It would also be detrimental to other local businesses who currently supply various services to us.”
Mr Gibb claimed that if the sawmill was to close there would also be knock on effects; The business supplies the Forestry Commission with timber to upgrade bridges, paths and walkways within the National Park, and he had recently been involved in discussions with various local Biomass projects with the potential to supply woodchip for use with biomass boilers, something which the Scottish Executive is very keen to promote.
“It is by no means a ‘ lame duck’, as we have made a great stride forward in the last 12 months, but we must have as diverse a range of products as possible to allow us to become a thriving and profitable business.
“ This is our last chance. If the business is going to survive and made viable the restrictions must be lifted as Peter Blacker cannot be expected to support us indefinitely.”
A spokeswoman for the National Park said: “Supporting Mr Blacker’s existing business, which is in open countryside outside Strachur, was one of the main reasons behind granting planning permission for a large retail building selling timber products as it was seen as helping to sustain an important timber processing facility and source of employment for the area. The consent also allows other facilities, such as a cafe, offices for the timber business and the ability to retail a range of other goods.
“The range of goods to be sold was discussed at length and agreed with Mr Blacker. He has now made an informal inquiry to the authority proposing a significant change to the nature of retailing, effectively to be an independent garden centre.
“We initially expressed concern that the new form of retail operation being suggested would have little relationship with supporting the timber yard, which was the initial reason for supporting the proposal, but would be happy to discuss with Mr Blacker a constructive way forward.”


Lyon pledges cash for elderly support
Speaking at Cowal Community Care Forum meeting in Dunoon on Friday 29 September, local MSP George Lyon pledged that in his capacity as Deputy Finance Minister, he would secure extra funding for elderly care from the Scottish Executive. The increased funding would be made available to Argyll and Bute Council and other Councils, as part of the forthcoming financial settlement for local government due to be announced shortly.
The meeting, to discuss the problems in Argyll and Bute with elderly care, was attended by officials and councillors from Argyll and Bute Council and representatives from Highland Health Board.
The council officials explained that Argyll and Bute Council spent less on elderly care than the Scottish Executive’s indicative figures but spent more on children’s services.
They also explained that they were working with the Social Work Inspectorate’s Joint Improvement Team to identify the root causes that lay behind the steep rise in the numbers waiting for elderly care which occurred at the end of last year, and what further actions they needed to take to ensure that elderly constituents did not have to wait for their care packages. They were working jointly with the health board to reduce the number of hospital beds that were blocked.
Mr Lyon said “There are still serious problems and delays being experienced with the delivery of elderly care in Argyll and Bute although since the council released an extra £1m of resources to help fund care packages the situation appears to be improving and waiting lists are reducing.
“The number of complaints I am receiving has also declined sharply, therefore it is a great pity that the council had not acted earlier to provide these much-needed extra resources. This would have averted the distress and suffering caused to many of my elderly constituents and their families.”
He was pleased to hear that the council are working with the Social Work Inspectorate’s Joint Improvement Team to identify what further actions they need to take to ensure that elderly constituents receive the appropriate care they need as quickly as possible and continue to reduce waiting lists.”
He ended by saying: “I recognise, however, that Argyll and Bute Council will require extra funding in this coming year to enable them to continue their recent improvement in providing elderly care and in my capacity as Deputy Finance Minister I have pledged to make extra funding available as part of the local government settlement from the Scottish Executive.”
Councillor Dick Walsh welcomed the promise of more cash, saying: “The council is pleased to note the commitment given by the Deputy Finance Minister to make additional funding available for elderly care in Argyll and Bute, and looks forward to receiving details of the funding package when these are released by the Scottish Executive later this financial year.
“The welfare of our elderly citizens remains a high priority for the council as is shown by the decision taken to release over £1M of additional resources as soon as it was prudent to do so, in June of this year.
He concluded: “The council will continue to work in partnership with NHS Highland, and other organisations, to ensure that all of the available resources are used to secure the best possible outcomes for older people in Argyll and Bute.”