A councillor who lives across Orkney’s Churchill Barriers has delivered a stark warning about their safety.
The council is preparing to make applications to the UK government’s £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, hoping to claim £20m for an infrastructure project and £50m for a transport project.
During an application window, expected to open soon, the council is planning to ask for funding to upgrade harbour infrastructure on the islands of Graemsay, North Ronaldsay and Papa Westray to accept Orkney Islands Council’s existing fleet of ro-ro ferries.
During a meeting of the policy and resources committee, councillors were asked to give their thumbs up to this application.
They were also asked to approve the further development of two more applications. One would be for a “cultural nexus”, including an eco-museum and “flagship museum of the islands”.
Council hoping to level-up harbours on three islands
Another application would see the council buy a low carbon-fuelled ferry. This application could also result in fixed links between two of the north isles being built.
With more work to be done on the latter applications, they would go to a future round of the fund, beyond this spring.
There was no disagreement that the harbour infrastructure upgrades are badly needed.
Council leader James Stockan said he’d heard of ill people in Graemsay being lifted onto the ferry in a horsebox.
However, councillor Steve Sankey asked why an application isn’t being made for improvements at the second Churchill Barrier.
The barriers regularly see issues with waves over-topping and in recent years have developed problems with their road surfaces.
Mr Sankey is standing down from the council at May’s election.
He said the levelling up fund seemed like “a golden opportunity” to get something done at barrier two.
Fund is ‘golden opportunity’
Living across from the barriers, Mr Sankey recently described the lack of progress made on them during his council term as a great disappointment to him.
Making his case, he said the council had already costed options and had consulted with the community.
He said: “There have been two rather serious accidents on the barriers in the month of February alone.
“Sadly, my view is that there will be a fatality on the barriers at some point. I am not scaremongering, I have seen these accidents happen over the years.
“I will keep making these points within or without the council.”
The simple answer as to why the council hasn’t made an application for the Churchill Barriers is that no proposal was made.
The fund is aimed at projects that have sunk to the bottom of the council’s priorities.
While some agreed strongly with councillor Sankey, others felt the barriers weren’t the right fit for the fund.
Saying barriers are bottom of the pile of council’s priorities is ‘exaggeration’ says councillor Sinclair
North Isles councillor Graham Sinclair wholeheartedly supported an upgrade to the harbours on three of the isles he represents.
However, to him, saying the barriers are at the bottom of the pile was “exaggeration”.
He said: “The North Ronaldsay harbour offers, at best a one-day-a-week service. In many islands there is a single ferry service per day.
“This is at the bottom of connectivity of transport here in Orkney and it’s absolutely justified in being in the first round of applications.”
Councillor Barbara Foulkes claimed it would take a “bottomless pit” of money to fix the barriers. She said the fund is not such a pit.