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SNP MP Angus MacNeil has repeated his call to postpone harbour works in Ullapool to a quiet period.

 

Cancelling a car ferry service between the Wester Ross port and Stornoway at the start of the tourist season will hit local businesses.

 

However, the works are required at some point to allow the replacement of Ullapool’s 40-year-old linkspan so it can accommodate a wider range of relief ferries.

 

Mr Macneil insists it is a mistake to undertake the works at the start of summer.

 

The MP highlighted: “That this should be considered at this time of year is simply not recognising the importance of the tourist season to the islands economy.”

 

 

Suspend Ullapool ferry disruption to after tourist season, urges MP  

16 January 2015

He added: “So I reiterate my previous call that this work should slip for a further nine months, to a period of the year that would involve minimal economic damage and would be more acceptable to people.”

 

Mr Macneil said: “It would appear that no consideration has been given to the costs and losses faced by tourism, haulage and other ferry users, if the work takes place at a busier time of year.”

 

He urges Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, to meet with the islands’ haulage and tourism businesses who will suffer at the “sharp end if this work goes ahead as currently proposed.”

 

“This is squarely an issue to do with islands and transportation which is in Derek Mackay’s brief and he has to hear their concerns about these works.”

 

The MP added: “The plan to carry out harbour works at Ullapool was originally rushed and flawed as the six week period of the works were due to straddle the Easter weekend.

 

“Now this has slipped by another two months and even more chaotically, this is now due to render the end of April, all of May and the beginning of June, as a period when there will be no vehicular traffic on the Stornoway-Ullapool route with cars instead being diverted through Tarbert and Uig.”