Coastal defences, a saved school and an appeal for more homes raised at Luing CC meeting

Argyll and Bute Council has awarded £15,000 on top of a £65,000 grant from the Scottish Government as part of a pilot coastal adaptation programme.

The money will be enough to pay for Phase 2 of the coastal defence scheme. Tender requests for earthworks will be put together soon, last Tuesday’s meeting was told.

An island led ferry review got more than 100 responses, the meeting also heard.

And it was the biggest users of the Cuan Sound service who proved to be the most satisfied, according to people’s answers.

A later evening car ferry, an earlier Sunday service and a longer summer timetable were on people’s most wished for lists.

The next stage will be for the data to be used by the community council and Argyll and Bute Council to look at developing any appropriate changes that can be made.

"It’s a good starting point having this data and having had such a good community response to the survey," said convenor Innes MacQueen.

Another push has been made on the island to make more housing available to people wanting to live on Luing full-time. A third flyer is about to be sent out as part of the Homes for Luing campaign, re-appealing for long-term let opportunities or small plots of land that could be turned in to sites for family homes.

Work to find ways of avoiding homes in Toberonochy and Cullipool getting flooded in heavy rain is ongoing, with support from Scotland Flood Forum. The plan is to use funding to get advice from council experts on what needs to be done to prevent a repeat of last October’s flood damage so an action plan can be put together - and possibly be carried out by the community.

Luing has its Place Plan ’in place’. This can be used as a blueprint to help shape the island over the next five to ten years.

Concerns were expressed over plans for a one-room black clad bothy just outside of Toberonochy’s conservation area. Worries included that it would look at odds with the many white-washed cottages and that its access would be a danger at the narrowest point of the single road that leads in and out of the village.

Applications are now closed for a job as a schoolbus driver with hopes that the successful candidate will be ready to start a home-to-school service after the summer.

"Having a school on our own island would be our preferred option but having a door-to-door school run and back is reassuring for families for now," said convenor MacQueen who told the meeting the "great outcome" of saving the island school from permanent closure was down to the efforts of those who lobbied councillors and helped prepare evidence to secure further mothballing for five years. Thanks were recorded.

"It’s a great outcome but it’s important we continue the momentum to keep the school open. We need more families. It’s still a huge challenge and there’s a lot of work ahead to make it happen," he added.