Since the destruction of the Oban Bay Marine proposal to install a transit marina in Oban Bay, the prospect of alternative harbour development has been trawled to deflect criticism.
The notion that Oban might develop an industrial harbour to supply the needs of the offshore wind and tidal energy sector has both immediate attractions and immediate snags.
While the sheer seduction of business development is strong, would this type of harbour, with its anciilary traffic, be a good fit for Oban and leave it recognisable as the iconic west coast town it is?
Then there’s Campbeltown – with harbour and access road development already down for funding, in train and in the plan, linked to the land and offshore wind turbine tower production facility at Machrihanish.
The simple financial reality is that, given the depth of debt the country suffered in the Autumn of 2008, which will take generations to pay down, there will not be the money to develop two harbours in Argyll, both serving the same offshore industry in the same sea area – and Campbeltown Harbour is already slated for relevant development.
It is inconceivable that Northern Ireland will not develop competing harbours on existing infrastructure Oban does not have. Belfast, Larne and Derry are already industrialised areas, with appropriate service road systems and with ready access to compete for business in servicing offshore energy projects on Scotland’s west coast.
Campbeltown has the strength of case for harbour development in its history of and its future in turbine tower production – whether Skykon or AN Other – with the plan already in train to ship the giant tower sections out direct from its harbour, giving it the road and port facilities to accommodate other maritime traffic in installation, support and supply services.
Hauntingly beautiful as it is, the Mull of Kintyre is out on a limb. Grand as its serious merchant past makes the town of Campbeltown, it needs - more than any other part of Argyll – the industry to maintain jobs and bring more to grow its working population, to widen its access and to sustain its communities.
If there is to be one port in Argyll competing with others elsewhere to service the offshore energy industry in the North channel, the Irish Sea, the north east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland, economic and social logic say it has to be Campbeltown.
Hear Hear
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Oban is a lot nearer and has a commercial airport for the required helicopter traffic. There is also a much better transport infrastructure including better road access and a rail terminal. It’s a no-brainer really.
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Webcraft. Doesn’t Campbeltown (Machrihanish) have an airport? And at that one with one of the largest runways in Europe?
The road access in Oban is a no brainer – have you any concept of the size of these turbines and how they will get to and leave your town? Campbeltwon is ahead in that department too with the huge developments in the roads leading to the town plus a new road through the former Park Square residential area in the town centre making it a straight run.
The issue is sea port so the rail terminal plays no importance. We have the most natural sea port in the whole of western Scotland and it MUST be used.
Its really a no-brainer, no?
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ForArgyll makes a well reasoned argument for Campbeltown’s further development as Scotland’s prime builder of wind turbine towers.
I find it hard to understand why Oban would want to spoil its obvious attractions as a tourist centre in order to develop a major industrial site.
Surely it should be aiming to further enhance it’s tourist facilities and develop its conference trade
I have to admit considerable disappointment at the short sightedness of the council in not supporting the marina development. Oban is the obvious centre for the West Coast’s growing marine tourism and it is stunningly bad news that it will not have much larger and more appropriate marina facilities. I hope that the people of Oban continue the fight to get the marina that they clearly deserve.
However, when it comes to wind turbines, Campbeltown has the infrastructure, skills and experience to supply them .
It is also vital that the harbour improvements go ahead at full steam to ensure that the lower rates of corporation tax in the Irish Republic do not seduce more major developers to open up there.
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Hughie and Bob, you might be right and perhaps Campbeltown could become the centre of this offshore wind boom that everyone says is coming. I was mostly thinking that looking at the distribution map of then planned developments it’s a lot more steaming time (including having to round the Mull) for ships heading to arrays off Tiree and further North – and of course more costly flight time for choppers. These are the sort of things that energy companies and their bean counters think about.
If the turbines were going to actually be built at Machrihanish it would of course make a lot more sense – but is there realistically much chance of that?
I don’t want to see Oban industrialised either, but the council seemed to be gagging for it according to this week’s idle speculation on the front page of the Oban Times. There is already mention of spending the CHORD money on upgrading berthing for larger vessels. Seems the Council would far rather industrialise the bay than have a marina there.
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Hughie Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 12:09 am
“We have the most natural sea port in the whole of western Scotland and it MUST be used.
Its really a no-brainer, no? ”
Isnt that what they said about the ferry terminal ?
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KGV that’s a very cheap jibe.
The ferry failed because the bureaucrats in Edinburgh made the tender documents in such a way as to frighten off prospective tenderers.
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kgv – and who are they?
I’m meaning in terms of its natural setting.
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Im not disputing the natural setting and it is indeed a great harbour, unfortunately its too remote by road to make it useful.
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Our reliance on fossil fuels needs to come to an end soon, I feel these kinds of articles are the only way it is going to happen. I write about this in more depth at my Alternative energy blog.
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All interesting subjective comments, from many different viewpoints.
I refer to your article from Tiree’s unique perspective, been an offshore Isle with a proposed inshore wind power station. We are a very captive audience.
My comments are based on subjective analysis ‘what’s happening out here’ simply because the proponent of the Argyll aka Tiree array have still not managed to provide ‘any’ objective or quantifiable information to the community of Tiree. We out on Tiree are getting numerous carrots waved under our noses by the Spaniards (Iberdrola s.a) known to us all as Scottish Power Renewables. Cambletown, Oban, Belfast…even Tobermory have all be mentioned as ‘support/construction base harbours’… SPR regularly drop in the comment ‘wouldn’t you like a harbour here [Tiree]‘
There is a huge difference between the 3>4 year construction (this could be extended in line with the other arrays proposed off our shores) and commissioning phase and the support phase M & O (25 years +) therefore we are looking at two completely different types of vessels.
Firstly, during construction; Oban would not be suitable, the jack up rigs, floating cranes, drilling rigs, accommodation vessels (no doubt for the Danish/Scandinavian workforce) are too large to be coming in and out of Oban…and why would they come in and out anyhow…they will mobilise to their construction areas and build while the weather is good, shut down and move to a safe harbour in the bad weather months.
The only vessels going backwards and forwards would be personnel craft and parts shipment. Parts shipment will come by sea from Belfast or Campletown . Oban will not see any large industrial vessels. They may see cable laying/seismic survey vessels…but these are in line with current vessel usage of the port. Spend your money on sustainable ventures that enhance Oban…go for the yacht market and tourism, don’t go down the line of a quick sell out for short term gain…your money will rot on the quayside.
So that brings us onto personnel…subjective observations from a Tirisdeach point of view and the dealings we have had to endure with SPR. Scottish Power Renewables have already used one Tiree person’s expertise to ascertain depth and possible usage, etc of Scarinish/Gott bays existing marine infrastructure(Ro-Ro pier). There has been mention of a breakwater across Gott Bay…if this happened it will not be for the behemoth construction vessels. It will be for the provision of personnel transport and small vessel maintenance type vessels or a safe haven.
(There is a strong possibility that Scottish Power Renewables will go with maritime legislation and provide a ‘safe haven’, and not a harbour on Tiree, this can be as simple as a breakwater across Gott bay)
Tiree has an airport, and brown field extension ground available, Tiree has already been told that helicopter support based there could be an option. HSE guidelines reduce exposure hours over open water, so Tiree’s helicopter base is a real option for personnel transportation during construction (to and from accommodation platform vessels) & in the future operational maintenance work. When the clouds drop, or the fog roll’s in it is only 45 minutes marine transit time out to the Tiree Array area from Gott bay. Also medical evacuation procedures have to be put in place…helicopters/small support vessels and a clinic for the ‘Tiree Array’ would I am sure be based on Tiree.
Another point the initial area of the Argyll aka Tiree Array (Skerryvore Reef ect) is only one area of the proposed 4 arrays stretched out between Islay and north of Tiree. Tiree is ideally placed to support all of these extraordinary projects, Iberdrola SPR know this, the government know this, Marine Scotland know this, A&B council know this…fortunately Tiree knows it too.
Karl (www.no-tiree-array.org.uk)
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This doc will answer a lot of your Q/A.
National Renewables Infrastructure Plan Stage 2
Report from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise
July 2010
Regards
Karl (www.no-tiree-array.org.uk)
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I have just read the Oban Times out here in Libya-online.
I am now trying to get my head around Councillor Roddy McCuish’s comments to the Oban times…and ask Mr McCuish to put some meat on the bone of his comments and refer him to
Salmonds messianic recent statements about investment etc, and its only ref to Argyll was to Campbelltown .
He would also do well to check up on Obans ‘past’ history in regards to transport/ Irish ferry links/white elephants and the Hydro…History has a way of showing us how not to make the same mistakes twice.
McCuish was one of the ” Tiree ” councilors..on a the team that visited Tiree for the community wind turbine vote (something I am in favor of; Community Renewables generation).
His input at that meeting though supportive of the Turbine; was along lines of Tiree ‘was already such a burach’ (mess) .. ie ref to telegraph poles and electricity poles .. golf ball radar .. Hough tower .. abandoned MOD property .. then what was the problem with putting up a wind turbine ?? A very simplistic and narrow minded approach…
Thanks
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