Council welcomes Euro-funding boost
Highland Councillors have welcomed the award of £1.24 million of Euro funding towards three transport and travel projects in the Highlands.
£500,000 worth of European Regional Development Funding will help the £2 million enhancement of the assembly area of the Sconser Ferry Terminal in Skye and provide much-needed additional parking spaces for cars, buses and commercial vehicles.
The project, which is due to start in October of this year and last for a year, will bring the waiting area for the ferry into the 21st century and provide a modern approach to this, the only gateway to Raasay.
Councillor John Laing, Chairman of the TEC Services Committee, said: “The project will bring a quality finish to the terminal making it an attractive stopping off point for those catching the ferry as well as those seeking further information about the area. It will add to the experience of visiting Skye.”
The Council has also received £500,000 from the ERDF towards the £2,250,000 cost of upgrading lifeline roads in north-west Sutherland, Wester Ross and west Lochaber, which all suffer from poor access as a consequence of the substandard width of road and poor alignment on short sections of road which are otherwise of good quality.
This project will focus on:
Work is due to start in September of this year and last for a year.
Councillor Laing said the objective of the project is to continue the removal of localised road bottlenecks in these remote and peripheral parts of the west Highlands. He said: “It will remove the barrier for freight and goods movement which constrains transport and has adverse impact on local business competitiveness and community accessibility. Journey times will be more reliable and access to local service centres for essential services will be improved.”
The third grant from the ERDF focuses on a Green Travel project. £224,000 has been awarded to the Council’s plan to implement improvements to core walking/cycling routes. This three-year project, due to get under way in April this year, will encourage local residents and visitors alike to walk and cycle for recreation, commuting and business. The routes under consideration will link communities, businesses and tourism attractions with safe, well marked active travel trails suitable for all ages. The Council’s partners - HiTrans, Sustrans and the Inverness Common Good Fund - have contributed an additional £185,000 to ensure the success of the project.