Author Archives: AdminTCC

Bin Collections

This is a reminder that Tiree comes under ‘Phase 3’ of the change to domestic bin collections from the week commencing 28th November 2016.

General waste will move to a three weekly collection. Recycling will remain at fortnightly.

The Council have assured us that new timetables will be sent out to all householders. In the meantime, do keep an eye out in local press for any updates from Argyll & Bute.

When a new calendar is available, it will show here. However, do bear in mind that this page DOES NOT currently show the new collection information.

 

CalMac Correspondence: Deployment of LOTI

Whilst the Clansman covered the Uig/Tarbert/Loch Maddy triangle over the last few weeks, TCC received concerns from the public in relation to ferries being fully booked.

Although this was not highlighted in the recent TCC update in an Tirisdeach, we were in touch with CalMac in the course of LOTI’s deployment. Correspondence for your information is below. The stats mentioned were discussed at the Community Council meeting on 3 Oct.

29 September

Hello Robert,

Further to our discussion yesterday, there is plenty of comment on Tiree following yesterdays press release that Friday, Saturday and Monday are now fully booked and wait-listed. While I realise that the decision to re-position the Clansman will not be reversed, is there anything that can be done with the MV Isle of Mull to relieve this pinch? I would imagine that Oban-Craignure is possibly no longer as busy as high summer, and Mull also has the second string backup of the MV Coruisk.

Alternatively, can the Saturday double sailing, (now ceased for 2016), be extended for the week or so period that the Clansman is relieving on the triangle? As the company points out, it is Coll and Tiree that are bearing the brunt of the MV Hebrides mishap, but a little creative thinking would go a long way to retaining public support.

Also, prior to our Community Council meeting next Wednesday evening, could you possibly supply John and I with route statistics for summer 2016? We would be most interested to learn if the double Saturday rotation has been a success, and also if exclusive use of Clansman during summer 2016 has produced a percentage increase of summer 2015 carryings.

Best regards,

Ian

Ian Gillies,
Tiree Community Council.

3 Oct

Ian,

Thanks for your E mail and sorry for the delay in responding.
We are somewhat challenged again this week with adverse weather!!!
Regarding the LOTI deployment can I thank you and the community for their patience during this difficult time.

In order to help manage the LOTI deployment I have asked the port to review all sailings for the next week and to consider instances where the capacity booked exceeds the LOTI size. Next Saturday is an example of this.
To account for this we have requested that the vessel consider a normal Oban-Coll-Tiree rotation but then follow this with a direct Oban Tiree- Oban sailing to cover the additional need.
I await confirmation of this option but recognise your need to know so will urge.

We are continuing to work closely with the hauliers to ensure all space booked is essential for supplies.
They are helping greatly to ensure we prioritise the essential.

I await Stats from our Stats dept and will share ASAP.

Regards,

Robert Morrison
Area Operations Manager
Calmac Ferries Ltd

3 Oct

Hello Robert,

Thank you for this response and the possible solution of providing a double LOTI rotation this coming Saturday will certainly relieve the pressure over this coming weekend of school holiday traffic etc.

Thanks also for following up on the provision of carrying statistics over summer 2016, which I am hopeful will provide upbeat information, although there is obviously an associated cost.

Best regards,

Ian.

SNH consultation on proposed marine Special Protection Areas for seabirds

EDIT – 11/10/16

Tiree Community Council made the following submission:

‘Tiree Community Council (TCC) considered the proposed Special Protection Area for Tiree and Coll at its public meeting on 7th September. We acknowledge that we do not possess relevant expertise in maritime ecology; our job is to represent the views and interests of our constituents on the electoral roll of the island. The matter was an agenda item, which was advertised in advance. The pSPA was also flagged prominently on the TCC website and comments were solicited. At the public meeting a member of the public commended the report as balanced. As a member of the pressure group No Tiree Array he had already provided a detailed submission to the consultation process. As Convenor I reported that I had held a meeting with two island fishermen, who were very concerned about the proposed SPA. They pointed out that fishing was one of the three pillars of the Tiree economy, and, significantly, encouraged young families to stay on the island. They pointed out that the bird population figures behind the proposals were at least ten years old and may not accurately describe the present situation. These fishermen had told me that, while the present local static gear fishery was not thought to impact significantly on the two bird species concerned, experience in other marine protected areas was towards tighter regulations as time went on. One of the fishermen made limited use of a set net for bait, and this catch was worth £15,000 a year to him. The other fishermen said he had made plans to buy equipment to start limited dredging and the proposed tightening of this form of fishing would load significant pressure onto his already fragile business. They were strongly against the proposals, and in particular, the inclusion of the south coast of the island. There have been no other comments to TCC about the pSPA.’

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Tiree Community Council are looking for feedback on the following SNH consultation.

http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/proposed-marine-spas/

(Special Protection Areas) SPA are particularly relevant for creel (static gear) fishermen, but also important for overall marine conservation and preservation of marine habitats.

Please leave feedback in the comments section on the website!

Deadline for the consultation is 21 September. If you would prefer to submit a response directly to SNH you can do so at the following link.

http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/proposed-marine-spas/