Council agrees to delay slipway repairs at Nether Lochaber

The Highland Council is to continue working closely with local communities to identify how best to minimise the disruption to the Corran Ferry service during proposed essential repairs to the slipway at Nether Lochaber on the mainland side of Loch Linnhe.

Works which were scheduled to commence in early summer have been postponed until later in the year to allow the Council and the community to agree the best way forward. It was expected that the essential works would require suspension of the vehicular ferry service for up to four weeks.

As a result of community concerns about the loss of the ferry service during the slipway repair, the Council is to re-examine the options for repairing the slipway and at the same time will conduct a travel survey to identify the most effective measures to ease the disruption, should the ferry service be suspended.

A well attended public meeting at Strontian on Tuesday night heard from The Highland Council’s Head of Transport and Infrastructure, Sam MacNaughton, who informed the meeting of the tender process; contracts and procedures; brief to the consultants contracted by the Council; and passenger and vehicle ferry mitigation measures.

Chief Structural Engineer for The Highland Council, David MacKenzie talked about the construction of the existing ferry slip and its inherent problems.

Alastair Bain of structural and civil engineering consultancy R.G. Parkins & Partners Ltd. gave a presentation on all the options and solutions considered.

The alternative bus services proposed were presented by David Summers, the Council’s Transport Development Officer, while Jim Tolmie, Area Roads & Community Works Manager for the Council talked about emergency services, road diversions and proposed publicity measures.

Councillor Brian Murphy, Vice-Chairman of the Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee, who chaired the meeting said: “We outlined the alternative options and mitigation measures which are currently under consideration for the period of disruption to the ferry service and received various constructive comments from those attending.

“We are working towards having the emergency remedial works carried out to the ferry slip way later in the year.  A third consultation meeting will be held when full details of the proposal and the mitigation have been firmed up.”