Dear Pippa                                               18^th February 2020

Firstly I must congratulate you on your promotion and wish you every success in your new position.

You may know that I am a long term resident of Easdale island. I feel compelled to write to you today to draw your attention to the problems being experienced with the Easdale ferry service.

You may not realise that we have had no ferry service yesterday or today. I suggest this because it has been reported by BBC that according to a Council spokesperson, 

 ‘the Council had a "stand-in" boat to take people to and from the island while Easdale's ferry service is suspended’

and that,

‘Arrangements have also been made with a local boat owner to put a landing craft on standby should it be needed in an emergency’.

There is certainly no ‘stand-in’ boat in operation. Islanders have been without a ferry service for two days and there is uncertainty as to when a service will resume.

I am unsure if the Council are being disingenuous or are just confused !

The reason for the suspension of the ferry service is that the entrance to the harbour is blocked by shingle which has been accumulating at the harbour entrance for months as it does every winter. I am reliably informed that the Council has been advised of the risk of the harbour closing for several weeks  and yet has failed to take any action.

I would suggest that this most recent Easdale ferry fiasco offers some general insights. Firstly the principle that preventative action is generally less expensive than remedial action applies in this situation both in the short and in the longer term.

For many years the Council has spent significant sums in periodically dredging the entrance to the harbour with little or no effective attempts to stabilise the shingle bank that causes the problems. Many cost effective solutions have been suggested to the Council over the years from well intentioned , experienced and suitably qualified people, but all have been rejected. Even a back of a envelope cost benefit analysis suggests that stabilisation measures would have paid for themselves many times over and yet the Council has repeatedly rejected all such advice. At a time when the Council budget is under pressure it is surely wise to take advantage of preventative solutions which undoubtedly will save money with no reduction in service.

I am certain there are many analogous situations across Argyll and Bute. If the Council listened properly to local communities and to its front line staff there would be many more opportunities for savings without reductions in service.

On Easdale we are lucky to have an excellent team of experienced ferrymen who are always professional and helpful and yet their advice to managers as in this instance often goes unheeded, to the detriment of the service.

I note that the Scottish Government has pledged a further £1 million per annum for Argyll and Bute Council’s ferries. I do hope that this money is spent wisely and not squandered as it has been in repeated and needless dredging of the entrance to Easdale harbour.

I will be publishing this as an open letter on social media as I believe this is a matter of public interest and concern.

Yours  Sincerely

Mike MacKenzie    

Dear Robin                                                             25^th October 2020

 

Please accept my congratulations on becoming leader of Argyll and Bute Council. As a fellow islander I am especially pleased about this.

 

On that note I would like to convey my thanks and those of the community on Easdale Island for the work that the Council has done in dredging the entrance to our harbour. Both contractors involved; MacFadyen’ s of Campbeltown and MacDougall’s of Dalmally have done an excellent job, albeit that the work was delayed due to the Covid pandemic and was completed only a couple of weeks ago.

The cost of this work must have been significant. Unfortunately Saturday’s gale, the first of this Winter, has resulted in the shingle bank which protects the harbour being over-topped and much of the work done by the Council’s contractors has already been undone. That is because no further steps have been taken to protect and stabilise the loose shingle bank and entrance to the harbour. I warned of this in my letter to Pippa Milne of 18^th February ( copied below ).

I would ask that you take steps to arrange further dredging as soon as possible. Unless this is done very soon it will become impossible to run the ferry service and there is a danger that we will lose the harbour altogether. I would stress again that more permanent  protection and stabilisation measures should also be put in hand otherwise the Council will continually face further and needless expenditure.

As you will see from the attached photo I have direct hands on experience of dealing with this problem. I also recall conversations I had some years ago on this subject with Professor George Fleming who I know would confirm what I am saying . George is a former President of the Institute of Civil Engineers, a position first held by Thomas Telford. From both a practical and a theoretical viewpoint the continual waste of money that the Council is expending in this fashion is untenable.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Mike MacKenzie 

 

P.S I am publishing this on social media as an open letter since this is a matter of public interest.

 

Dear Pippa                                                16^th October 2021

Please see below e.mail. I am writing today to ask if the Council have made any progress in seeking a longer term engineering solution to this problem.

I am prompted to write because a contractor arrived yesterday with plant and equipment to carry out further annual dredging work. There is a rumour circulating that the contractor has been instructed to carry out dredging only in the immediate vicinity of the harbour entrance and not to carry out more general associated maintenance works. These more general and preventative works have always been carried out simultaneously with dredging of the entrance since this at least helps prevent the necessity of further dredging becoming necessary in the very short term.  

I am sure this rumour is untrue since having gone to expense of transporting the necessary plant and equipment to the island it would be beyond foolishness not to do a comprehensive job. I would be reassured if you could confirm that a comprehensive job is planned.

Best Regards

Mike MacKenzie     

 

Dear Pippa                                                         2^nd November 2021

As you know I wrote to you recently regarding the now perilous state of Easdale Island harbour. My letter, after some prompting, has now been answered by Mr Jim Smith, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services.

 

I am sorry to have to inform you that I regard Mr Smith’s response as wholly unsatisfactory. It is a response that seems to me can only have been made by someone who is completely unaware of the practicalities of the situation on the ground and who lacks civil engineering or civil works experience.

 

I have several advantages over Mr Smith and I assume any other council officer who may be involved in the design and supervision of the current and minimal dredging and maintenance works, which are wholly unsatisfactory in their extent and which are much reduced on previous years.

 

These are that as a long-time resident of Easdale island I have had the benefit of observing the harbour situation over many years. While this in itself does not amount to a study of the ‘coastal hydrodynamics’ involved it is backed up by my own hands-on and practical civil works experience, which includes carrying out dredging and maintenance of this specific harbour.

 

Furthermore I have had the benefit of discussing the situation in depth with two very eminent local civil engineers, both of whom took a keen interest in and were professionally involved in this situation. The first and perhaps the most eminent is Professor George Fleming. George is a former president of the institute of civil engineers ( a position first held by no less an engineer than Thomas Telford ) and I am sure you will agree that a civil engineer can hardly be more eminent than that. The other was the late Adrian Laycock, a civil engineer of international experience and repute.

 

Professor Fleming designed the protective scheme of gabions for the harbour which was put in place around 1980. He was disappointed that his original design was never fully implemented by the council but despite that the protection was very effective. After many years with no maintenance these gabions were finally swept away by a gale in late November 2006.

 

The Council reinstated a scheme of protective gabions in 2007. I am unaware of any professional design for this scheme having been produced and it seems to have been a ‘back-of-an-envelope’ design, perhaps conceived by Council officers who lacked the necessary experience or qualifications.

 

Since that scheme was put in place the harbour entrance appears to have been subject to an accelerated rate of silting up. In addition the ‘bull’ or spit which protects the harbour and the adjacent bank of the harbour entrance have been subject to significant erosion, erosion that never happened to anything like the same extent prior to the 2007 ‘protective measures’ having been put in place. This has led to much more extensive dredging being required, with contractors being on site for many weeks—a much greater effort than was necessary while Professor Fleming’s protective measure were still functioning.

 

I do not doubt the Council’s good will but this seems to be a classic case of ‘a little knowledge being a dangerous thing’. The recent decision to reduce the dredging and maintenance works seems likely to compound previous errors. This may very well have catastrophic consequences for the community, up to and including the complete loss of the harbour and a severe and perhaps long term disruption to the ferry service.

 

As you will know the Council has statutory and legal responsibilities with regard to the Easdale Island community. There is a further responsibility to seek best value on behalf of the wider community of Argyll and Bute. I therefore feel obliged to put the following questions to you and which I would ask that you treat as freedom of information requests.

 

1/. Given the change of policy regarding the dredging and maintenance of the entrance to Easdale Island harbour has any professional study or design work been done to inform this decision?

 

2/. If such a study has been done can you please provide me with a copy of this study and/or publish the study?

 

3/. If such a study has been carried out could you provide me with a note of the qualifications and experience of the persons who undertook the study?

 

4/. Has there been any attempt to consult with the local community and has any consideration being made of any of the implications of the Islands Act  before implementing this change of policy?

 

5/. Has there been any consultation or dialogue with the landowner prior to  implementing this change of policy?

 

6/. Given the potential threat to the community and the catastrophic consequences if the Council’s new dredging and maintenance strategy fails, has this matter been discussed with or authorised by the local area committee or any of the elected members of the council?

 

7/. What have the costs of dredging and maintenance been in each of the last twenty years?

 

8/. Has any formal consideration or design work been undertaken looking at a better engineering solution which would provide further and better stabilisation and protection of the foreshore and therefore of the harbour and the entrance?

 

9/. If so has any cost/benefit analysis been carried out to ascertain that such works would represent a good investment in terms of delivering better value?

 

10/. Has the council consulted with or taken advice from Historic Environment Scotland with a view to ascertaining any duty of care it may have in its actions which threaten the environs of Easdale Island as a conservation area, a scheduled monument and more specifically the harbour walls which are a grade B listed structure?  

 

I am sorry not to have been more concise but I’m sure you will agree that unless you have good information you will not be in a position to make a competent decision. I hope that I have convinced you to over-rule your colleague, Mr Smith and instruct him to reappraise the situation.

 

Finally in case you feel I am exaggerating the consequences involved, the following link will take you to a newspaper story that indicated the consequences of similar policy being followed by the council in 2006.

 

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-1130/20061216/281702610227249

 

 

Best Regards

 

Mike MacKenzie

 

        

P.S. I will be copying this letter to others and publishing it on social media since this is a matter of public interest. I would be pleased to publish your response if you give your express permission that I may do so.

Dear Alex                                                      5^th November 2021

 

I write to you as chief executive of Historic Environment Scotland and refer you to the below copied letter to Pippa Milne chief executive of Argyll and Bute Council.

I believe the letter is self-explanatory. It refers to the long standing failure of Argyll and Bute Council to provide a more effective and more cost effective solution to protect our unique and wonderful old harbour. Due to this inadequate approach the community is threatened from time to time by the complete loss of the harbour which in turn could pose a significant threat to the ongoing viability of the community.

There is a further aspect to this since the island itself is a conservation area, most of the cottages are C listed buildings, the harbour walls are B listed structures and a large part of the island is now a scheduled monument. The Councils’ negligence doesn’t therefore just threaten the community but the heritage represented by our built environment. This is worth preserving for its own sake but also because it is a significant driver of the local tourism economy.

Our harbour is once again in imminent danger. I am therefore writing to see what assistance Historic Environment Scotland may be able to offer. For instance perhaps you can help persuade Argyll and Bute Council of the importance of safeguarding the valuable historic assets we have on Easdale.

I would be most grateful for any advice or help that you are able to give.

 

Best regards

Mike MacKenzie

 

No 1 Easdale Island

Oban, Argyll, PA34 4TB

Please Note; I will be sharing this letter and publishing it on social media as this is a public issue. I would be pleased to publish your reply if you give me specific permission to do so.

Dear Pippa                                                22nd November 2021

Further to my letter of 2^nd November I am now writing to you as chief executive of Argyll and Bute Council to thank you for intervening in the matter of the dredging and maintenance of our Easdale island harbour.

As you know Mr Jim Smith, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services had recommended that the normal maintenance be scaled back. I felt sure that once you knew the facts of the matter that you would over–rule this ill- considered idea and I am pleased to say that the Councils contractors have since been carrying out the maintenance as per long established practice. With some luck this will buy us some time and get us through this winter.

 

In the meantime I am pleased to note from BBC and Oban Times articles that the Council intends to work with the community and seek a better and longer term engineering solution. This is particularly important as it seems likely that the community could access funding that may not be available to the Council. I hope to see real progress being made in taking this forward not least because of the significant savings that could be made in respect of the Councils ongoing budget.

 

Once again I offer my thanks and I know that the whole community of Easdale Island would wish me to pass on theirs too. 

 

Yours sincerely 

 

Mike MacKenzie

Please Note; I will be sharing this letter and publishing it on social media as this is a public issue. I would be pleased to publish your reply if you give me specific permission to do so.