CRUNCH time of sorts for the Stranraer marina story next week, when the Council considers the independent report into the £960,000 works which local councillors say is unfit for purpose for leisure boat users and disruptive to fishermen. Dumfries & Galloway Council commissioned the survey which does its job of lightly criticising the “transparency” of the process, and makes some observations about the siting of the shallow and always shingle-covered slipway but stops short of calling it unfit for purpose as the locals do. For some reason D&GC previously told Agenda that this bit of bureaucratic back-covering came free of charge but the consultant, John Fraser of Gareloch Consultants, fully intends to invoice them for a sum which, he reasonably asserts, is none of Agenda’s business. Meanwhile, local resident Barry Miller has written to the local paper with a real-life example of how the slipway actually hinders and even endangers users. Whatever the meeting concludes councillors claim that this is not the end of the story, and pressure will be put on Audit Scotland to produce an independent report into the story so far. “This is not going to go away,” says one.

THE Queensferry Crossing passed a milestone this week as the deck lifting finally got under way in perfect weather conditions on the North Tower. The process of lifting and suspending these 750 tonne slabs will proceed for a year, necessarily at a rate of about two bits a week. Delays over the foundation, and poor weather have eaten into contingency time so Transport Scotland and consortium bosses will be praying for more of the kind of weather we enjoyed last week to ensure time for the final phases once the Forth is spanned by this graceful giant.