Oban calls on council to back yachting venture

Oban businesses are imploring Argyll and Bute Council to act immediately to bring step-ashore leisure boat pontoons to the bay. In a public notice backed by 50 local firms, community company Oban Bay Marine (OBM) states: “Unless Argyll and Bute Council has the vision and courage to move forward now, Oban will continue to lose out and will endure yet more discussion, more consultants, more delay and more stagnation of its economy.” The group wants the council to release £2million previously allocated for Oban pontoons in its CHORD (Campbeltwon Helensburgh Oban Rothesay and Dunoon) waterfronts project budget. Calum Ross, chairman of Oban and Lorn Tourism Association, which has put its name to the plea said: “It is beyond all comprehension that Oban hasn’t got a pontoon development for visiting yachts by now. From a tourism perspective it is absolutely vital that Oban has these facilities.” OBM claims the town is losing £1million of generated income every year the transit marina is delayed. One of its directors said: “We want the permanent facility in for 2016 and there is no reason why they can’t manage that if they make a start now. We have a business plan which shows exactly that. The business plan was worked out with the help of council officers last November. “A pontoon development would do rather more for the town than some of the public realm works that they are currently working on, which is basically titivating pavements. “It could be counter-productive if they put in a temporary pontoon arrangement that isn’t sustainable. “We want the pontoons between the North Pier and the Railway Pier, we want a floating breakwater to be installed in order that the pontoons are protected. “The business reaction shows the depth of feeling and the frustration within Oban.” A council spokesman said: “We would like to reassure people of our commitment to having a temporary facility in place for summer 2016. “We have ambitious plans to grow Oban’s already strong economy and are making huge, evidence-based investments which we know are matched to the aspirations of our communities and will create jobs. “We are looking into a range of options and will be applying rigorous checks to ensure that any final proposal meets the needs of the whole community. A paper is going to the area committee in April which will give more detail and councillors will then decide the way forward.”