Portree harbour bid rejection a “massive blow”

The rejection of an ambitious £50 million bid to transform Portree’s historic waterfront has been described as “a massive blow” to the island capital by a Skye councillor.

The proposal led by the Portree and Braes Community Trust was submitted by the Highland Council in July 2022 to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

More than 100 projects were awarded a share of £2.1 billion from round two of the government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund, which was announced on Thursday 19th January, including 10 projects across Scotland.

Nearly £27 million has been guaranteed for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. The service is a lifeline for the island, supporting its residents, visitors and supply chains, and without its replacement the community will become further isolated.

The vision to transform Portree harbour area, included plans to redevelop the 200-year-old pier built by Thomas Telford, while other aspects of the bid focused on a new access route from Bayfield, a breakwater, pontoons for leisure craft and a safe embarkation point for the RNLI.

Disappointment

Reacting to the news, Portree and Braes Community Trust development officer, Fiona Thomson told Radio Skye that it was disappointing not to see Portree on the list of projects receiving support from the Levelling up fund, especially given the urgent need for investment in Portree harbour, however she believes the verdict was not entirely surprising as it was a hugely competitive fund.

She added that the bid was strong and nothing more could have been done by the community or the Highland Council to change the outcome.

Councillors John Finlayson and Calum Munro told Radio Skye they were both extremely disappointed by the decision, and paid tribute to the hard work behind the bid by the community and council officers. The local members also expressed concern over future source of funding of projects in rural Highlands and Islands.

Meanwhile, fellow islands councillor Drew Millar described the decision as a “massive blow to the future of Portree”

Highlighting the long-running need for the redevelopment of the asset, councillor Millar told Radio Skye said that the harbour improvement had been on the agenda since before the inception of the Highland Council along with improvements to Bayfield and the Portree Link road.

However, he went on to say that he was sure the decision didn’t signal the end of the dream and added that he would be contacting MSP Kate Forbes and MP Ian Blackford over the next few days to see where and how the plan could be taken forward.

Major initiative for the whole of the islands

In an interview with Radio Skye on Thursday, Skye MP Ian Blackford said that the decision was “deeply disappointing” as the harbour plans were a “major initiative not just for Portree but for the whole of the islands.”

Mr. Blackford went on to say: “This was a well thought through bid that was put in, and I think what I am going to have to do with the Highland Council is to make sure we engage with the officials in the Levelling Up department, and I think consideration should be given to putting in a revamped bid for round three, which will be coming, but I think it is important that we take stock of where we are.”

Asked by Radio Skye if he could have done more to push the bid, he said: “I made sure I lobbied the secretary of state, Michael Gove quite aggressively to make sure we got this on the table…”

Full interview with Ian Blackford

Article and interview by Adam Gordon.