Highland business owners say a new ferry restriction on a 'lifeline service' will put them at risk of collapse.
A temporary weight limit is being imposed on the Maid of Glencoul Corran Ferry service in Lochaber, "to ensure the safety of the travelling public."
The MV Corran which is the larger vessel has been out of commission for months as Highland Council awaits parts to allow repairs to be completed. No date has been given as yet for its return to service.
From March 20, all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes in weight, excluding emergency services and service buses, will not be permitted to use the council-run service, which links the communities of Fort William, Ardgour, Sunart, Ardnamurchan, Moidart, Morar, Morvern and the Isle of Mull.
Ken Gowans, chairman of Highland Council's economy and infrastructure committee said: "We realise the demand for the service will be picking up as we move from winter into spring, and it is unfortunate that due to the difficulty in sourcing necessary parts the MV Corran is not available at present."
READ MORE: Highland hotelier admits 'we got it wrong' after £25 fish supper bill goes viral
Davie Ferguson, manager of the Ardnarmurchan Lighthouse Trust, said the apparent lack of consultation with local businesses was an "absolute disgrace".
He said: "A limit of 3.5 tonnes on the ferry means no deliveries from Bidfood, Brake Bros etc to the lighthouse.
"If we can’t stock the coffee shop we are finished as a business.
"Our supplies mainly come in on a weekly basis from Oban via the ferry.
"These lorries are all over 3.5 tonnes so they would need to go round by Lochailort and Glenuig, which they won't do because it's more than a day's run.
"It's a long detour for them. I don't know what we will do - it's going to be very difficult."
READ MORE: Rest and Be Thankful saved our business say Scots couple
Andrew Cameron, of Loch Shiel Garage in Acharacle, said the loss of the larger vessel had increased their running costs by around £1000 per week.
He said: "If we are not allowed to continue to use, even the small ferry, I cannot see how the recovery/ haulage side of our business can carry on.
"I can see no option other than from March 20 when the 3.5 tonne restriction is put into place that we will not be offering a breakdown recovery service to West Lochaber, Mull and beyond.
"With the larger MV Corran being away for over 4 months it has been costing us in excess of £1000 per week due to having to double run everything to Fort William from Acharacle via Lochailort the long way round, increased driving time and the drivers being unable to return journeys back home on the same day as leaving.
"Never mind taking into account the loss of work that we can not competitively tender for due to the extra miles and height restrict'Aions on the a830 and a861 for lorries, if we do not have an effective ferry service.
"We as a small company in the local area of Ardnamurchan and Morvern and cannot withstand this any longer."
READ MORE: Kate Forbes 'best hope' to fix ferries, rail and roads says Highland councillor
Dr Michael Foxley, vice chairman of Ardgour Community Council and a former Highland Council leader, said the restrictions had "come as a shock" to local businesses.
He said: " MV Corran left for a refit over four months ago leaving the Maid to continue the service.
"Further disruption with an imposed weight limit will have a huge impact on the communities and businesses in Ardnamurchan, Morvern and Mull.
"We need to learn when the MV Corran will return and why this refit has been so protracted."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel