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THE latest moves to restore the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry have been described as ‘the last chance’ to prove its viability.
A meeting in Tarbert last Thursday saw more than 70 delegates from Scotland and Northern Ireland discuss the potential benefits of the route.
There was overwhelming support from those attending the meeting and the route was highlighted as being a key economic driver for communities, not just within Kintyre and North Antrim, but for the north west Highlands, Northern Ireland and indeed the whole of Ireland.
Representatives included government officials, local councillors and MSPs, MPs and MLAs from both side of the Irish Sea, as well as businesses and community interests.
However, vital as the meeting was, it had to be started late and cut short to fit in with flight times between Campbeltown Airport and Northern Ireland.
But even in a shortened version one thing was agreed by all: this is the last chance to get a ferry service running between Campbeltown and Northern Ireland.
HITRANS, the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership ran the event on behalf of MVA Consultancy. MVA’s draft report which could seal the fate of the ferry is expected by June this year.
Councillor Duncan MacIntyre, Argyll and Bute Council’s transport spokesman, opened and closed the meeting.
‘We are really one community; the similarities are unbelievable when it comes to things like genealogy, culture, spirituality and heritage and we should be looking at extending what we have got in common,’ he said.
’The reinstatement of the route is not just about moving tourists across the Irish Sea, it is about being a key piece in the jigsaw of sustainable economic regeneration for Kintyre and North Antrim — and that means looking not just at the tourist and recreational markets but the business to business markets too.’
Councillor Madeline Black of Moyle District Council said: ‘I believe there is a future for a service between Ballycastle and Scotland. This is probably our last chance to prove that it will be viable.’
