Tobermory park and ride not happening

It is an issue that has plagued Mull’s largest town for years, worsening since the wave of Balamory tourism, and having only gotten worse with the island’s popularity holding strong. 

Discussion around a potential park-and-ride scheme in the town had been ongoing for years and last year the idea seemed to pick up momentum as local councillors looked into it. 

Councillor Willie Hume was particularly keen on the idea, making it his mission to create a concrete plan.

Councillor Hume says they got as far as identifying a potential plot of land near Baliscate to develop into a car park, for which £260,000 of council funds were to be used. 

However, due to the land being designated crofting land it needed to be de-crofted, a legal process that could take up to 16 weeks. The funding was subsequently reallocated and therefore the council’s legal services team could not proceed with the de-crofting process. 

This happened over a year ago and recently Councillor Hume has tried to revive the plans but to no avail. 

When the Oban Times asked the council about the status of the plans, a spokesperson said: "The council has no plans for a park-and-ride scheme in Tobermory."