Proposing a better ferry option for Mull

I recently had the honour of addressing the Mull Community Council which is extremely concerned about a proposal by Transport Scotland/CMAL to carry out a major reconstruction of Craignure ferry terminal at the staggering cost of £78 million. This proposal was to enable berthing of a large £75 million Glen Sannox class ferry.

A key concern is that the mainly single track Mull roads are not able to handle the sudden arrival of 130 cars in one go. The proposal includes a huge reception building to hold 1,500 persons (over half the Mull population) which the community council believes to be both unnecessary and wholly out of scale with the rural setting in which it would be located.

An alternative and more cost-effective proposition based on Scandinavian practice was discussed whereby a main vehicle ferry service would be provided by two 80-car, 400 passenger capacity double-ended ferries, providing an hourly service in summer, with a single vessel giving a two-hourly service in winter from 7am-8pm. This would enable year-round commuting between Mull and Oban, a facility that is not available at present. The vehicle ferry service would be supplemented in summer by a 250-passenger fast 35 knot catamaran to cover day trip foot-passenger peaks and could also connect Oban with Lochaline, Lismore and Tobermory.

It was noted that to enable safer berthing at Craignure, some extension of the existing structure would be required plus general maintenance at an estimated cost of some £10 million. Thus a more frequent, flexible and economical ferry service could be provided between Craignure and Oban for a capital cost of some £30-£35 million as compared with the circa £150 million scheme proposed by Transport Scotland/CMAL. The community council unanimously endorsed the alternative proposal outlined above.

It was suggested that if large sums of money were available for misguided ferry terminal projects of the £78 million kind currently proposed by the powers-that-be for Mull and elsewhere, it would be better spent on more cost-effective ferry solutions, with the remainder earmarked for our struggling health and education services. Roy Pedersen Drummond Road, Inverness