Plans go ahead to develop Oban as a major transport hub – but where’s the air link?

Argyll and Bute Council wants to see its west coast port of Oban become an integrated transport hub. To achieve this, the Council plans to work with a number of key transport providers – such as Caledonian MacBrayne, Scottish Citylink and HITRANS. The group has together now commissioned an engineering appraisal, which will include consultation with key stakeholders. It will commence in January and its findings will be available in April 2009.

The study is designed to evaluate options to:

• improve the pedestrian routes between bus, train and ferry services
• improve parking / ferry mustering area / park and ride
• develop combined rail, ferry, bus passenger terminal facilities
• develop a link road through the ferry terminal to provide drop off zones for buses, taxis etc.

Councillor Duncan MacIntyre, Transportation spokesperson for the Council, says: ‘Oban, with its existing rail, road, ferry and bus connections, is an important gateway to much of the West Highlands and Islands. This study is vital to ensuring that all modes of transport are integrated to provide an improved transport experience for our residents, visitors and businesses’.

This is commendable strategic forward planning but it is doomed to inadequacy without the inclusion of Oban’s new airport. This has been the single biggest transport development in Argyll for many years. The omission of air transport from the planned development mix illustrates the extent to which the economic development possibilities of this major new facility are still below the Council’s radar.

Yes, Oban has long been the gateway to the isles but many of these isles can now be reached by a choice of transport means. This is an area ripe for development in support of tourism. Links from Oban’s airport to Oban’s ferry and bus networks and to its hotels will need to be integrated within the new plan. New air routes and schedules, even restricted to the summer season, need to be considered, along with the infrastructural services this would necessitate.

Councillor Currie has already raised the possibility of an air bridge service from Colonsay to Islay, now that the smaller island has a runway servicing its links to Oban. This is a far-seeing proposal.

One important argument is that such a service would sharply cut transport time for Colonsay islanders to Glasgow as Islay has an onward link to that city.

A further consideration is that Colonsay is part of the same island group as Islay, yet there is no public transport service between them. Culturally, the addition of an air link from Colonsay to Islay has the capacity to link all three islands in the chain. Jura, the third, has a very short ferry journey to Islay, with access to its airport.

Regardless of what recommendations emerge from the appraisal exercise, For Argyll suggests the immediate inclusion of the airport in the planning mix.

UPDATE (18th December): For Argyll put this matter to Stewart Turner, Head of Roads and Amenity Services at Argyll & Bute Council, who says: ‘The article (the Council’s Press Release) relates to Oban specifically rather than all parts of Lorn which would include the airport.  I am certain that once the work is on-going it will include the Airport’.