Investment in transport infrastructure is vital for far north development, Scottish Minister is told

INVESTMENT in transport infrastructure is vital for the economic development and regeneration of the far north. That is the message which was delivered to Scottish Transport Minister, Fiona Hyslop, at a meeting with representatives of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting, which was held remotely last Thursday, highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing the area and stressed the need for investment to help reverse depopulation. The minister was urged to support lifeline air services through the continuation of the public service obligation (PSO) at Wick John O 'Groats airport.

It was stressed there are no proposed major investments in the region's roads or rail infrastructure which would offer "meaningful reductions in journey times in the short to medium term, or alternative solutions to connect the region to markets." The Chamber has been lobbying for better transport links for more than a decade.

Ms Hyslop also heard about the crucial role the north can play in renewable energy. It was explained the area is at "the cusp of significant developments and opportunities," particularly in the space sector, offshore wind, and electricity transmission infrastructure.

Chamber chief executive and chair of the Caithness Transport Forum, Trudy Morris, said: "Ensuring that businesses, investors, and communities across the region have access to good transport infrastructure and connectivity they require will be vital to enabling these opportunities. It is crucial that the Government ensures the region has equity and stability to harness these opportunities."

The Minister also was told about "the extreme reliance" on the A9 road linking Caithness with the south and the concern over the centralisation of healthcare with pregnant mothers having to travel 110-mile journey to Inverness to give birth.

The withdrawal of funding for the Caithness healthcare re-design project and the improvements to Caithness General, were also mentioned to Ms Hyslop. Other topics discussed included improvements on the far north rail line, road equivalent tariff (RET) on the Northern Isles Ferry Services, sea freight opportunities, electric charging infrastructure and potential funding for Demand Responsive Transport pilot schemes, which would provide a public transport service in areas of low passenger demand where a regular bus service is not considered financially viable.

Ms Morris said: "We welcomed the opportunity for this meeting to once again make the case for the Wick PSO service as well as appraise the Minister of the fragility of the region’s transport connectivity.

"As we only had a short time with the Minister, she was very much in listening mode. She reiterated the fiscal challenges government ministers were facing and the difficult decisions which they were having to make with budgets. She welcomed our cogent case for retaining the Wick PSO and said the decision would be imminent.

"While no promises were made on any of the issues raised, she said she would welcome more information on any regional transport pilots and ensure her officials took account of the needs of the region when looking at electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the A9 North and took on board the need to include this side of the Pentland Firth when looking at fair fares and the Islands Connectivity Plan."

Dave Calder, head of sustainability and socio economics, at NRS Dounreay said: "The minister was presented with a clear message outlining the benefits of an equitable, optimised, responsive transport system, namely to attract the necessary investment and people needed to realise the economic potential of our rural area. Such a system could

serve as the benchmark for what is possible with creative partnership thinking and action."

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