TRANSPORT Minister Keith Brown this week said that his government has no plans to bring new ferries to the Dunoon-Gourock route - despite strenuous efforts on the part of Argyll and Bute Council to restore the town centre vehicle link desired by the community.

Mr Brown was responding to questions asked by Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor about the public service obligation contract with Argyll Ferries Ltd.

After saying that the service had improved ‘significantly’ in recent months, Mr Brown said: “We will continue to monitor performance and work with the operator...to ensure that the passenger ferry service is the best it can be.
“The Government therefore has  no plans to introduce new passenger and vehicles vessels to the route.”

After receiving this response, Mr McGrigor told the Standard: “This will obviously be hugely disappointing to many Cowal residents but probably not surprising given the handling of this issue by successive Scottish governments.
“It is a very far cry from the famous promise made by former SNP MSP, Jim Mather, that two new vehicle and passenger ferries would be delivered on this route.”

He continued: “More generally, the SNP’s draft ferries plan suggests ferry services should be provided on the basis of needs, and this would suggest that the SNP simply doesn’t think there is a need for a second vehicle service for the Dunoon-Gourock route.”

Argyll and Bute Council leader Dick Walsh said he was ‘extremely disappointed’ at Mr Brown’s comments.

“The improvement plan fails to provide a clear pathway by which Argyll Ferries can make the immediate improvements that the travelling public who use this service so desperately need,” he told the Standard. 
“It was the first stage of the three-point plan agreed between the council, the local MP and MSP, representatives of Inverclyde Council and officials from the Scottish Government’s ferries division on December 9.”

The three-point plan referred to by Cllr Walsh includes investigating the use of the Coruisk on the route in the short to medium term. The longer term would see an options appraisal process for the provision of a vehicle link between Dunoon and Gourock town centres, including procurement of new or leased car ferries.

Cllr Walsh continued: “To date we’ve not received any confirmation from the Scottish Government about its intentions to progress the three point plan.
“I am in no doubt the plan presents the only way forward at this time, not only to make the immediate improvements that are required but also  to ensure that every opportunity is taken to provide a fit for purpose ferry service.
“The council is meeting with officials from the ferries division on January 31 and I will be writing to the minister for transport to obtain his assurance that the Scottish Government will progress with the agreed way forward.”

Meanwhile, after the Standard published a membership form for the new Dunoon-Gourock Ferry Action Group last week, donations and completed forms have flooded in - a very encouraging sign and further emphasis of the depth of community feeling on the issue.
Thanks to all who have sent in donations - these have been collected and will be passed to the group.

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