Canal boss agrees to meet with businesses over winter closure

“We will know more about the project’s likely progress once the works are up and running and will provide this information as soon as we have it available.”

Mr Stein welcomed the offer of a meeting and said: “We will definitely meet him.

“Mid-May is not acceptable. We will meet but we don’t want platitudes. I will make sure we have engineers.

“We want details on how on earth it takes longer this year to do less work then they did last year.”

This will be the third year of the Crinan Canal winter works programme.

In his letter to the Scottish Canals CEO, Mr Stein wrote: “I have been asked to protest strongly by both our local community council and the Crinan Harbour Association.

“A range of other national and local bodies and our Argyll and Bute councillors support our complaint.

“The Crinan Hotel and Coffee Shop will be badly impacted.

“Those with boats in Bellanoch Basin will either have to move their boats now or leave them on the pontoon till mid-May.

“The Puffer has had to change all its usual spring plans. The Crinan Boatyard has already lost a contract as a result.”

In a statement, Mr Millar said: “We are aware of the impact our winter works programme has on residents and businesses, the wider community and our boating customers.

“We have worked hard to keep everyone informed about this year’s essential works, including making the local community aware last year that we would be returning for works at Crinan over the 2023/24 winter period.

“We have also taken on board lessons learned from the previous two years’ investment programme to minimise disruption.

“In deciding the dates for this year’s works, we carefully considered feedback received from a wide range of sources, including members of the local community, on the timing and around the disruption caused by last year’s works so we could learn from it.

“Taking this feedback onboard we delayed the works until after the traditional sailing season and the English school holidays.

“This decision was taken on Tuesday July 4 and within days we communicated this by email to a wide group of

The canal’s existing sea lock gates are at their end of life and would not get through another season. people, including representatives of the local community council.

“We followed this up with courtesy calls to the business most local to the works. To communicate this further we then issued a local door-to-door letter drop and announced updates on our social media and on our website.

“In July, we held one of our now regular in-person community meetings where everyone was invited to come and find out more about the works.

“Representatives from both Scottish Canals and our contractors attended this.

“Including these works, the Crinan Canal has seen a total of £4.5m investment in the last three years, helping to ensure this wonderful 200-year-old waterway is available for everyone’s benefit for the next 200 years.

“These essential works are just as significant as the previous years’ works programme, but more complex as the lock gates are mechanised sea lock gates.

“The existing sea lock gates are at their end of life and our robust inspection and monitoring programme tells us that they will not get through another season. This means that failure to undertake these works would most likely result in us having to operate the canal under restrictions and that when the locks inevitably failed, we would need to close the canal.

“As well as ageing infrastructure we have been challenged over recent years with water shortages as a result of drought/extended dry periods.

“The new gates will help to reduce water loss and safeguard the historic canal infrastructure and important navigation, while continuing to attract thousands of visitors by land and water, for many years to come.

“Scottish Canals has routinely attended quarterly community meetings, and we invited all local residents and businesses to a specific winter works focused information session.

“In the last community meeting a comprehensive outline of the works was provided, and we committed to publishing the anticipated key milestones on our website, which we will do.

“In addition, we have been in regular communication with a range of our stakeholders and local businesses, and we have communicated with all longterm mooring customers to provide sufficient notice of the work and we will work to assist boaters in relocating their vessels.”