Reaction has been mixed this week after a plan to build a slipway and timber transfer yard at Machrie was thrown out.
Permission was refused by planning officials at North Ayrshire Council after a lengthy deliberation of the application which was submitted in August, but has been on the drawing board for much longer.
Forest Enterprise Scotland wanted to create a timber stacking yard within a one metre bund, including dense woodland planting, and formation of the adjacent slipway on a site to the north of Dunedin, Machrie.
But the £300,000 plan has been controversial since it was first mooted more than two and half years ago. The plan was to use the slipway to ship 3,000 tonnes of trees a month to the mainland, which are to be felled on the west side of the island. That would have avoided the need to transfer all the wood over the String Road to Brodick for shipping.
The proposal had met stiff opposition from residents and businesses in the area claiming the semi-industrial development would spoil the tranquility of the area and harm the environment and tourism.
The plan had been to build a slipway on the shore and a timber stacking yard on the other side of the main road, which would have meant dozens of timber lorries crossing the road when the barges were being filled.
A total of 27 objections were made, mainly from the Machrie area, although, importantly, Arran community council also said they were unable to support the plan. Only a handful of letters in support were belated sent in, when it became obviously the plans were in serious trouble.
In their submission they acknowledged that ‘some additional journeys’ over the String Road would be required by timber trucks if the proposal did not go ahead. However, they said they were swayed against the plan by the volume of opposition from Machrie residents and business operators.
One of the objectors Lorna Mansfield of the Old Byre Visitor Centre near the proposed slipway was delighted by the decision and told the Banner: ‘The whole appeal of Machrie is its natural beauty, wildlife and tranquillity. To locate an industrial timber yard here would threaten all this and tourism. Having many timber lorries crossing the peat-based Machrie moor, together with the need to cross a main road 340 times in order to load a barge, is nonsensical and would undoubtedly, at some point, cause a dangerous if not fatal accident.
‘Whilst we recognise and support that timber has to be extracted, it needs to be via a safe and trustworthy method within an industrial area,’ she added.
However, away from Machrie the decision has met with a mixed response with some residents on the existing timber route and in Brodick concerned at the prospect of a big increase in timber trucks on the roads.
Chairman of the Arran Economic Group Tom Tracey believes the decision is wrong, saying: ‘Forestry Enterprise Scotland had a strategy of building slipways close to forests which would significantly reduce heavy truck traffic on Arran roads and villages. This would have been good for residents and visitor safety, the environment, traffic congestion generally and specifically around the Brodick Port and last but not least, our roads.
‘Unfortunately, the strategy is likely to fail based on local objections, which are understandable, but not necessarily in the best interests of the island.
‘NAC’s planning permission refusal for the Machrie slipway means we will see significant increases in truck traffic over the coming years with all the disadvantages to road users that brings. Frankly, the decision seems so bad, for all the reasons given, and it will surprise many residents and businesses. Hopefully, something can be done about it.
‘If not, timber movement through our roads and villages will more than double over the next couple of years to 4,000 lorry movements, mostly through Shiskine, over the String and through Brodick to Thomson`s slipway in Market Road. Future extraction from the South End will flow through Whiting Bay, Lamlash and Brodick.’
It is not yet know if Forest Enterprise Scotland will appeal against the decision.
An FES spokesman said: ‘We are naturally disappointed at the decision but we plan to continue working closely with the council, local communities and other stakeholders to explore solutions for handling timber supplies on Arran. By working together we should be able to find a way forward which overcomes the challenges and boosts economic and forestry activity on the island.
‘We need time to reflect on the decision and explore what options are available. We will do this by working closely with the council, local people and other stakeholders on the island.’
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