Objectors fail to halt bridge building until court hearing

Opponents of the bridge scheme yesterday failed to persuade three

Court of Session Judges that preliminary work should be suspended

pending a full court hearing against a decision by the Scottish

Secretary to approve the development.

The Judges were informed that steps had already been taken to

safeguard wildlife in the area, particularly otters.

Dr Bruce Stevens, of Aberdeen, and Peter Findlay, from Fort Augustus,

claim that the Secretary of State disqualified himself from taking an

unbiased decision about the bridge. They point out that before a public

inquiry was ordered into a toll bridge extension of the A87, contracts

for the work had already been signed.

The objectors also argue that the decision to allow the bridge scheme

to go ahead was based on inaccurate information about the effect on

local wildlife.

Yesterday, Mr Mungo Bovey, counsel for the objectors, told the court

that the reason for asking for operations to be suspended was that

permanent work was imminent.

Two giant caissons carrying the piers for the bridge had been built in

dry docks at Kishorn and underwater drilling had taken place to allow

them to be put in place.

Mr Bovey said he believed that the caissons would be floated out this

weekend. They were so big they would project out of the sea, forming

small islands, and fixing them on site would cause a permanent eyesore.

Mr Bovey told the court he also understood that the felling of large

Scots pines in the area at the back of the Lochalsh Hotel was imminent.

He added: ''The works are at a stage where they will leave a permanent

mark on the landscape.''

Mr Ralph Smith, counsel for the Scottish Secretary, said that if the

court granted an order to suspend the preliminary work, bridge

construction would have to stop.

Equipment would have to be removed from the site, labour, including

local labour, would have to be laid off and site offices put on a care

and maintenance basis.The pier cassions would have to be kept at Kishorn

and measures taken to look after them in dry docks.

Mr Smith told the court: ''The developer would sustain disruption and

it is estimated that could be quantified at between #1m and #2m. This

loss would be borne ultimately by the Secretary of State under an

indemnity. Should the appeal fail it seems unlikely that the Secretary

of State would be able to recoup these losses.''

If the appeal succeeded it might mean that the procedures for seeking

approval for the bridge scheme would have to start again. It did not

necessarily follow that the works would have to be undone.

It seemed that the main interest of the two objectors was to protect

otters which lived in the area and the bridge already had design

features, incorporated at some considerable expense, to protect otters.

They would also be shielded from traffic after the bridge was completed.

Lord Ross, the Lord Justice Clerk, said the objectors had failed to

satisfy the court that it would be justified in suspending work on the

bridge.

After the decision Mr John Carson, director of Miller Civil

Engineering, said: ''Construction of the bridge is now at a critical

stage and any delay would have meant a substantial penalty in terms of

its completion.

''Our site on Skye is now well established, we have made many friends

in the local community, and our presence there contributes to the local

economy. We currently employ about 100 people on this contract, many

recruited locally.''