ARGYLL AND BUTE ESCAPES WORST
- But town post offices face axe
The Argyll and Bute post offices earmarked for closure as part of Post Office Ltd’s Network Change programme were named on Tuesday.
Seven closures
The seven offices proposed for permanent closure are East Princes Street, Helensburgh; Gallowgate, Rothesay; Hillfoot Street and Kirn, Dunoon: Mossfield, Oban; and High Street and Ralston Road, Campbeltown.
There now follows a six-week consultation period, due to end on December 3, where members of the public and communities can express their views to Post Office Ltd’s National Consultation Team. Unless Post Office Ltd responds favourably to public representation, all seven post offices will close in February 2008.
In both Cowal communities affected by the closure proposals, feelings were running extremely high on the morning of the announcement.
The manager of Hillfoot Street Post Office advised that he was unable to comment as all such enquiries were to be directed to Post Office Ltd’s national press office. However, despite the fact that it was named in the list of potential permanent closures, no official posters or public information leaflets had been supplied to the Hillfoot Street premises at time of writing.
“Ridiculous”
Customers who had read of the decision about Hillfoot Street in the national press were vocal in voicing their opinions. One customer pronounced the decision “ridiculous”, while Janette Valentine deplored the damage that such policy would do to communities: “It’s a particular shame for disabled and elderly people - there seems to have been little recognition of the social importance of the post offices, and the issue is being treated as purely commercial.”
Other businesses in the area were disappointed at the news. “Hillfoot St is a lifesaver for our business and we are horrified at this decision,” said White Rabbits. May Hughes was adamant that communities should fight against the proposals: “This will be horrendous - it is not just a post office, it is a social lifeline for many people.”
Community spirit
In Kirn the same sentiments were very much to the fore.
“Kirn has received various awards through Scotland in Bloom, Beautiful Scotland, and even from Her Majesty The Queen, for revitalisation of the area and its community spirit, and it is therefore ridiculous that closure of the post office, with the resultant knock-on effect to the community, can even be considered,” said Brian Chennell. “At the next EnviroKirn meeting, I will be urging that everyone writes to anyone and all to have this decision reversed. The community needs to get together on this, as well as everyone doing what they can individually.”
Customers at Kirn were unanimous in their shock at the potential loss of what is clearly very much the heart of the community. “It’s crucial to the infrastructure of our community,” said one customer. “Kirn is proud of its community spirit and the effort made to improve the area. This could have a terrible effect.”
One elderly lady said she used the post office over three times a week: “I live alone and to me the post office is not just about services, its company and conversation. I felt sick when I heard the news.”
Fight to save it
Mary Wilson, who works in Black’s Bakers, was keen to take action as soon as possible: “All the customers have been talking about it today and every one has said how shocked and upset they are.
“People like to use the local post office because its easy to access, its not so busy, and the staff are so friendly and helpful - there is a real personal touch there.
“We will be fighting to save our post office.”
David Connor, who owns Kirn Post Office, said: “I feel that closing Kirn would be a great loss to the community, but it has become harder and harder to sustain as core business has been taken away from smaller offices piece by piece.”
The criteria by which post offices are marked out for possible closure seems unclear. The Network Change Branch Access Report lists various facts about each branch including local population and demographics, ease of access to the branch, bus services, parking and distance to other branches, but does not give any indication of how these are used in the decision making process.
Official statement
The official Post Office Ltd statement said:”Under the Area Plan Proposals published today, 99.9 per cent of the population will either see no change to their nearest branch, or will remain within one mile (by road distance) of an alternative branch.
“Post Office Ltd is seeking views on the proposed future service provision in Argyll and Bute, including, in particular, views on access to Post Office services, the accessibility of alternative branches to those proposed for closure and the appropriate form of rural outreach service to be provided.
“In two postcode districts within Argyll and Bute (PA22 and PA35), Post Office Ltd will be actively seeking to create additional service points in the communities of Otter Ferry and Portsonachan and would welcome feedback during the six-week consultation on suitable locations where these services could be provided.”
Response to consultation
Argyll and Bute Council Leader Dick Walsh said: “The council will do everything in its power to protect public access to these vital services.
“I cannot stress how important it is for local communities to respond to this consultation and express their concerns to the council about these post office closures.”
Argyll and Bute Council will meet with Post Office Ltd on November 14 to discuss the feedback it receives.
Independent customer watchdog Postwatch said: “We have a number of concerns about the current plan, in particular the fact that in two postcode districts, PA22 and PA35, Post Office Ltd is not meeting the Government’s new accessibility criterion for rural areas.
“We urge customers to use the six-week period to give their views to Post Office Ltd.”
MP Alan Reid commented: “I am delighted that every rural post office in my constituency has been spared the axe. With twenty closures threatened, I am very relieved that the number facing the axe is only seven.
“However, I will still fight tooth and nail to save these seven and I will back local people in any campaign.”
“Desperately needed”
Anne Gabriel, chair of Dunoon Community Council, in whose area both Cowal offices are located, said: “It is difficult to understand why these particular offices have been chosen for closure. Both are extensively used by the elderly and Hillfoot Street in particular is convenient for young families, being located close to a school.
“It is disastrous that these two post offices are under threat - they are both desperately needed in the local communities.”
The consultation period lasts for six weeks and all comments, views and campaigns against closure must be submitted to the National Consultation Team by December 3. Contact details are: Sally Buchanan, Network Development Manager, Post Office Ltd, c/o National Consultation Team, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM. Email consultation@ postoffice.co.uk or call the customer helpline on 08457 223344.


Affordable housing plan for Bullwood site
The Bethania building, which has stood empty for several years, is set to be demolished at the end of this month.
The former care home in Bullwood was purchased by Fyne Initiatives - a subsidiary of housing association Fyne Homes - in March this year from Argyll and Bute Council.
Fyne Initiatives hopes to inject a new lease of life in to the area with the construction, by John Brown Ltd, Strone, of new affordable housing on the site.
The £2m plus housing project is due for completion by October 2008, and will create a total of 13 homes for the shared equity market, designed to help people to get on to the first rung of the housing ladder.
As well as having fantastic views over the firth of Clyde, the properties will also have their own gardens, a woodland area to the rear, renewable energy sources, sun spaces and roof terraces.
Fyne Initiatives has also provided a commercial unit for the Bullwood Regeneration Project, which works and maintains woodland within the grounds of Bethania. This group is also responsible for running a number of education and training programmes which are available for the whole community.
Alan McDougall, director at Fyne Homes, said: “The Bethania development marks another exciting chapter for Fyne Initiatives. The demolition will make way for affordable housing, in demand by first time buyers, families, young people and key workers in the area.
“The provision of affordable housing is vital towards the regeneration of rural Scotland and we are committed to ensuring that we meet the needs of the local people and allow this area to flourish.”

Chips with Everything…
Jim Mather, MSP for Argyll and Bute and Minister for Energy, will open Our Power’s wood chipping plant next Friday (November 2) at Cairndow. The wood chips produced by the plant will fuel the biomass boiler previously fuelled by oil which heats water for Lakeland Smolts.
This is a small but significant development that could hold lessons for other parts of Scotland. Though 40 percent of energy consumed in Scotland is for heat we are still behind much of Europe in wood fuel usage. Many European countries are way ahead in boiler manufacture, standards of delivery, storage systems, and specifications on the quality of chips and firewood.
Here we Are
Our Power is owned by the community charity Here We Are (HWA), and profits from the chips (and perhaps other micro power projects in future) will provide revenue for it. But it could not have come about without a grant from the Scottish Biomass Support Scheme (SBSS), a Scottish Government and Forestry Commission,Scotland intervention that aims to improve our national carbon footprint. Out of the 76 projects funded by this scheme (all have to be up and running by March 08) only 24 were for wood fuel supply projects and two of these were community owned; one of which is Our Power, Cairndow.
Grant
Our Power’s grant from the SBSS was for 50per cent of capital expenditure for biomass equipment. HWA raised £22.5k from its own supporters. Money for set up costs, the purchase of a tractor and 50per cent balance of equipment - £75k in total - has had to be sourced from the banking sector.
Next Friday’s event will be the culmination of an initiative begun two and a half years ago by HWA. It raised funds to research and put on an exhibition at the HWA centre on the history of the power that has been generated within the Cairndow locality water mills, old micro hydro including the turbine installed at Ardkinglas House in 1907, and the great Hydro Board schemes of the 1950s. Three of these used water from within the Cairndow parish.
A feasibility study to explore all sources of renewable energy was commissioned from Renewable Devices, Edinburgh. Sun and wind proved insufficient. There were two potential hydro schemes, impractical for different reasons, the remaining one with potential was a biomass plant to heat water for Lakeland Smolts, the Norwegian owned local salmon hatchery.
Lakeland saw the attraction of reducing its oil consumption and a guaranteed energy price for a 5 year period.
Three-way project
This has finally materialised in the shape of a three-way project.
Lakeland Smolts, Mawera (the boiler manufacturers, installers and now Energy Supply Company ) and HWA. Lakeland and Mawera between them also received SBSS 50per cent funding to help get the project off the ground.
A crucial element in the initiative is, of course, the timber. In Argyll, trees grow fast and well. With Forestry Commission’s assistance HWA has negotiated a 5 year contract for the quantity and at the moisture content needed by Lakeland at a price that makes the project viable. The timber will be sourced within a 30 mile radius. HWA now needs to look beyond its one (good sized) customer for others within the same radius. Long distance transportation of timber for chips is not sustainable. And if the SBSS grant scheme is intended to reduce carbon emissions and help regenerate fragile rural areas of the Highlands the current support to the large scale co-fired power stations of the South and East should be discouraged, or the timber/chips price increases will threaten the future viability of the small rural initiatives.
Support
HWA has received support and encouragement from Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIenergy). Neither it nor the SBSS were set up specifically for communities or for social enterprise. However Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company, (HICEC),funded by the Scottish Government, Communities Scotland Seedcorn Fund , and the Development Trust Association’s Business Accelerator scheme all were. Our Power has been the beneficiary of all these schemes for feasibility, research and development.
The staff and committee of Here We Are and directors of Our Power - are now looking forward to putting the “social capital “ they have acquired to good use. A timely reminder to heed our first First Minister Donald Dewar: “There must be ways of integrating the economic the social and the environmental and the desire to live 21st century lives while still maintaining Scotland’s beauty.”


Diving Academy celebrates third anniversary
The Professional Diving Academy (PDA) in Sandbank celebrated its third anniversary recently in considerable style.
It held an open day on Friday October 5, during which Enterprise Minister Jim Mather made the announcement of a £1m investment in the academy (Dunoon Observer, October 5).
As well as creating more than twenty new jobs at the academy, the investment will enable the company to procure a new diver training vessel and thus increase its capacity to provide high quality commercial dive training. This will have a knock-on effect on the local economy as the additional students live and work in the local community, using accommodation, shops and services.
During the open day, visitors were able to see the academy in action. The facilities on offer provide the best possible simulation experience for trainee divers and within the training school itself, students are able to get used to being underwater, learn about the equipment used, and even practice underwater welding techniques, as well as learning all aspects of diving theory. Following a tour of the premises, the open day guests were able to take a tour on PDA’s specially fitted out training vessel MV Sleat.
Tom Brannan, director of PDA, said: “Very few people locally know just what we do. As well as the diving academy, we also supply commercial diving services and have a chandlery arm.
“The academy is also home to a very high-tech facility - C-Tecnics, which manufactures sophisticated subsea video systems.”
C-Tecnics was established as a “cottage industry” at St Catherines by Crawford Grier before joining with Shearwater and the PDA group of companies. Nowadays, it supplies sophisticated electronic lighting, camera and video systems for the Royal Navy and various other navies around the globe.
The company has enjoyed significant success and is due to expand into larger premises very soon. It is justifiably proud that it is reversing the trend of sourcing products from overseas and is instead sending high quality British manufactured products all over the world.
PDA also helps out local charity FATHOMS by allowing access to its hyperbaric chamber. Hyperbaric treatment is beneficial for certain medical conditions including multiple sclerosis.
With its already extensive facilities complemented by the latest investment, this group of companies is very much an example of a local success story.