Argyll and Bute Council will lobby for funding to help protect the area’s lifeline routes and infrastructure against the effects of severe weather and climate change. This was agreed at the Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday.
The severe weather event of October 2023 illustrated the scale and impact storms can have on communities when millions of pounds worth of damage to roads and bridges brought parts of Argyll and Bute to a standstill.
The speed and complexity of the work that had to be done to reconnect towns and villages was hugely challenging and costly.
The council successfully secured £6.653 million of Scottish Government funding to help with this, and expects to receive a further £612,000 once the Scottish Government finishes its final checks. However the complexity of the repair work needed in Argyll and Bute exceeded the relevant council budget by nearly £4 million. With the local authority budget already severely stretched, this gap has to be met, in part, through pausing some street lighting work, investment funding, borrowing and potentially Crown Estate funding.
Emergency weather-related work that’s already complete includes:
- Emergency route at the A816;
- Debris clearance at Bridgend Bridge, Upper Stronafian Bridge, Victoria Bridge, Glemallon Bridge, Lindowan Burn Bridge;
- Repairs to damaged parapets at Glenmore Bridge B828;
- Repairs to the Lochgoilhead Bridge B839, while keeping it open so the community was not cut off;
- Repairing rock anchors at the B828 Glemore Road as well as rebuilding eroded and missing road edges and verges, damaged road culverts and road restrain systems;
- Reconstructed C30 Ford to Malevich, which required drilling into much deeper rock than anticipated;
- Completely rebuilding the bridge at Cuilfail Hotel, Kilmelford, in two weeks;
- Emergency works at Kilninver Bridge;
- Abutment repair and scour protection works at Ri Cruin Bridge; and
- A815 landslip clearance to get the road open to the A83.
Work continues to repair more complex damage:
- Additional works to Kilmelford Bridge;
- Phase two works at B844 Kilninver Bridge;
- Replacing the temporary bridge at Glen Lean with a permanent structure; and
- A816 Bealach Mor Kintraw, Ardfern – developing catch-pits at the base of the unstable slope, installing traffic lights, and creating a permanent diversion by widening the emergency route.
Councillor Jim Lynch, Leader of the Council said: “All local authorities need additional support to cope with increasingly challenging and unforeseen impacts of severe weather and climate change. Here in Argyll and Bute we have rural and island communities who absolutely depend upon reliable lifeline routes and infrastructure. It’s therefore vital that we, as a council, engage with both the Scottish and UK Governments for the funding that we need now, and in the future, to maintain and safeguard infrastructure resilience.
“A growing and thriving local economy in Argyll and Bute makes a valuable contribution to the wider national economy. Our transport infrastructure is key to that and deserves adequate funding. This is our message.”