Extra meeting called to get more detail on new harbour authority plan

Council officials setting up a new harbour authority for Oban are to attend an extra meeting so they can share details and timescales.

 

A  report was made to Argyll and Bute's Harbour Board Work saying work is progressing well on a formal harbour revision order that would see the council take on responsibility, for now, as a statutory harbour authority.

 

For that to happen, more work needs to be carried out to meet legal requirement covering aspects as wide ranging as harbour limits, vessel traffic system, extended oil spill response, work vessel requirements. There also needs to be a public consultation first.

 

It was agreed at the meeting on March 3 that an additional harbour board meeting was needed before the end of this council’s term of office, so members could be given more detail about the timescale for implementation, resource requirements, and how a proposed consultation with all stakeholders would be carried out.

 

It was agreed that Argyll and Bute Council would take on the role of a statutory harbour authority (SHA) after an independent report looked at options for putting formal management arrangements in place for the unmanaged section of Oban Bay.

 

The new arrangement would be monitored during a bedding-in time and then there would be a further report to the harbour board board on the potential for the future development of a trust port which could see the bay managed by an independent, commercial organisation

 

This week Oban Community Harbour Development Association (OCHDA), which pushed for a trust port, welcomed news of a broad consultation and is looking forward to being included, as a representative group.

 

OCHDA chairman Ross Wilson, said: 'We welcome the harbour board decision to hold

 

an additional meeting to receive more detailed information regarding the progress

 

towards the development of the new harbour authority. Since safety remains our

 

overarching concern, we will do everything we can to help the council to establish the

 

Harbour Authority, covering the bay and including the dangerous north entrance, as

 

quickly and smoothly as possible.

 

'OCHDA has already developed detailed proposals, which were the subject of successful consultation in 2020, regarding the actual area to be covered by the new harbour authority. This information has already been given to officers along with much more of the work required for the establishment of the new harbour authority.

 

'OCHDA also welcomes the commitment by officers to consult the communities concerned, widely, at an early stage in order to make sure that any objections to the detailed plans are dealt with as early as possible and looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively on the project.'

 

Oban Community Council convener Marri Molloy, said it should be automatic that  communities concerned with the harbour are engaged from the outset in planning for such an important development.

 

'It isn't acceptable for council officers in Kilmory, who are manifestly unfamiliar with

 

Oban Harbour, to draw up plans without such engagement with both local elected

 

councillors and the wider community.

 

'Until recently these same officers were denying that the harbour held any risks to navigation, now they expect us to trust them to plan the future of our Harbour.  At least the councillors at last week's Harbour Board realised the report before them was inadequate, without details of timescale or costs or boundaries, and have insisted on an additional meeting within the next few weeks.'