WITH four principal harbours and a total of some 41 piers, harbours and
slipways, Argyll and Bute has its own unique set of challenges and priorities.
As Argyll and Bute councillor Alistair MacDougall explains, between them
the council’s various assets cater for a wide range of interests, from
ferry traffic and fishing to leisure and commercial usage.
“In recent years, there has been a focus on the southern end of the Kintyre
Peninsula, with £12 million of infrastructure developments in Campbeltown –
transforming the town into both a renewables hub and a vibrant place to
live and work,” MacDougall notes.
As part of the £12m Kintyre Renewables Hub project, Argyll and Bute
Council, with support from the European Regional Development Fund, has made
a major investment in developing Campbeltown New Quay.
The upgraded facility represents a significant milestone in the delivery of
the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan and was officially opened by
the then Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, on the April 15, 2013.
Campbeltown Harbour is one of few international commercial leeside ports on
the west coast of Scotland and has berthing for vessels of up to 160 metres
in length, with a water depth of nine metres to chart datum. The newly
strengthened quay also allows for loading weights of up to 1,000 tonnes
(30kN/m2 quayside weight bearing).
The project to renew the southern berthing face of the New Quay in
Campbeltown has already borne fruit and has given confidence to the
renewable industry in addition to enabling deeper draughted Norwegian well
boats the opportunity to berth and discharge their cargoes.
A £2m scheme to enhance one of the principal berths on the adjacent Old
Quay was also completed this year. “This adds to the port’s ability to meet
the requirements of the marine renewables sector and helps to
build confidence in Argyll and Bute’s role in both the land-based
renewables projects and also in offshore and subsea developments.
Recent improvements to the berthing face at Campbeltown Old Quay has also
provided the harbour with increased capacity for renewables related craft.
The improvements provide increased flexibility in the choice of berths
available to the smaller craft, import tugs, O&M vessels and pilot craft.
The improvements also facilitate the unloading of raw steel for the
renewables industry.
Timber exported to the Baltic countries and to the British and Southern
Ireland destinations goes through the port and is an important driver for
local employment.
“As well as a world renowned golf course, Machrihanish also houses
Scotland’s only wind turbine tower manufacturer, Wind Towers Scotland Ltd.
“Improvement work to the Campbeltown Harbour New Quay now allows for the
turbine towers produced at the Machrihanish facility to be transported
around the world,” MacDougall notes.
With integrated transport, vehicle access, established national hauliers,
experienced stevedoring, extensive laydown areas and reinforced concrete
hard-standing, Campbeltown Harbour has a lot to offer.
Complementing the work on the New Quay, the main road in to the town,
Kinloch Road, was the subject of major regenera tion work – making it
suitable for the large vehicles transporting the turbine towers up the
peninsula.
Some two hours further north, another one of Argyll’s key coastal towns
will benefit from a £140m investment in vital infrastructure. Long
considered an important economic centre for the Highlands and Islands, the
Lorn Arc Project will develop Oban, and the surrounding areas, as an
important economic growth area for the west of Scotland in the coming
decades.
Funded through the Scottish Government’s TIF scheme, the project aims to
support sustainable growth in the marine science, tourism, renewables and
aquaculture sectors, working closely with key private and public sector
partners, including SAMS, the world renowned Marine Science Institute
already based in Oban.
“The council has also invested over £1m to secure access to Iona by
repairing the bottom end of the island’s ferry slipway. The lower end of
the slipway had degraded over time and, without this significant
intervention, it could have deteriorated further.
“By ensuring the pier remains serviceable for at least the next 20 years
we’re ensuring that these two communities stay linked and that Iona remains
accessible to thousands of tourists each year, which obviously has real
tangible economic benefits to both islands,” MacDougall says.
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