PLANS by ministers to build a bridge or tunnel to Mull from the mainland are expected to get the heave ho from islanders, it has emerged.

A survey of islanders two years ago conducted by the Mull and Iona Ferry Committee was overwhelmingly negative.

Now a ferry users group has accused ministers of causing a distraction which does not resolve the issues of a reliable ferry service.

After receiving 672 responses from a population of around 3,200, some 60% disagreed with the proposal that "if it were possible, I’d like a tunnel from Mull to Oban". Only 20% Agreed.

The plan unveiled by Transport Scotland to replace ferries with fixed links comes 26 years after the opening of the Skye bridge was mired in controversy.

For decades islanders had called for a road bridge from the mainland as growing visitor numbers put a strain on the ferry that ran between Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin.

But the cost of the bridge’s tolls sparked outrage. Car drivers were charged up to £5.20 each way, compared to 40p on the Forth Road Bridge. Protesters claimed this made the Skye crossing the most expensive road toll in Europe.

The Herald:

Net zero, energy and transport secretary Michael Matheson has unveiled a plan that could see another crossing to Mull, which has been hit with ferry disruption. A bridge from Oban to the nearest community on Mull would be around ten miles long while a link between Fishnish on Mull and Lochaline in the Morvern area of Highland, across the sound of Mull would cover just three miles.

Transport Scotland has also talks of a plan of a fixed link between North and South Uist and Lewis and Harris.

Another bridge or tunnel could link Barra and the Uists.

But the move has come despite the views expressed in the poll.

Joe Reade, the chairman of the Mull and Iona Ferry Committee said: "It would seem that people value their island identity.

"No-one on Mull has been publicly asking for a fixed link. We have been asking simply for more reliable and more efficient ferries, for years. Before we start thinking about tunnels under the sea, we need to fix the very urgent and fundamental problems with the ferry service.

"What they want is a reliable ferry service, one that is dependable in typical winter weather, and has space for everyone who wants to use it in the summer. These are the basic expectations of a lifeline ferry service, but at the moment they are not being met.

"Thinking big thoughts about the future is always healthy. We should never assume that things will always be done the way they have in the past. It is healthy to have some ambitious thinking in Transport Scotland.

"Ironically however, that is one of the major cultural and institutional problems with the current state ferry establishment – change happens at glacial pace and decisions often seem to be shaped by dogma and vested interests rather than asking what would actually deliver the best service to islanders at least cost.

"So rather than distracting us with grandiose plans for 20 years hence, what is really needed is a two - five year plan to fix the chronically dysfunctional and expensive ferry system."

It comes after Transport Scotland bought a new ferry for from MR Norled, the Norwegian shipping company, to help support the ageing lifeline ferry fleet this year.

The Herald:

The vessel was on offer for just £5.5m. A £9m deal to capture the ferry includes the price of modifications.

The seven-year-old vessel which carries 195 passengers and 34 cars has been earmarked for the Oban to Craignure on Mull route in the network run by Scottish Government-controlled ferry operator CalMac.

It comes as the delivery of new lifeline island ferries MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802, which were due online in the first half of 2018, are over five years late, with costs doubling in total to over £200m.

According to a transport review analysis the moves for bridges or tunnels have come as current ferry routes on the Sound of Harris, Sound of Barra and between Craignure on Mull and Oban face a "number of issues and challenges".

It says: "Replacing ferry services with fixed links bridges or tunnel can improve reliability, connectivity, capacity and crossing times.

"A Sound of Harris fixed link would improve connectivity between the Uists and Lewis/Harris while a Sound of Barra fixed link would improve connectivity between Barra and the Uists.

"The provision of these fixed links would allow for the reconfiguration of transport provision between the Outer Hebrides and the mainland.

"The provision of a fixed link between Mull and the Scottish mainland would allow for the reconfiguration of transport provision between the island and the mainland."

Further work is now to be undertaken on business cases to better understand the benefits, costs and challenges associated with these options.

The analysis said the studies would "consider the feasibility of replacing existing fery services" currently delivered by CalMac as part of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) contract.

The analysis added: "These studies would also ascertain the potential savings associated with the public sector subsidies required to operate the ferry services and involve input from communities that may potentially be affected."

But Mr Reade said people feel "completely ignored" when calls are made for the need for changes to improve the ferry service.

"The house is burning down and we are shouting urgently for someone to do something, and the response from Edinburgh is 'look at this shiny fire engine that we’ll have in 20 years'.

"It’s the kind of top-down approach to the islands we are getting more fed up with. We’re being told what the solutions are, and rarely asked about our problems.

"I would also point out that a tunnel to Mull is by no means an easy task, and a glance at the map will tell you this."

It is thought the most practical place to install a fixed link would be in the three miles between Fishnish on Mull and Lochaline in the Morvern area of Highland, across the sound of Mull.

But Mr Read said there would still be a strong need to retain a ferry to Oban because it is Mull's closest mainland town and a local service centre, where ochildren go to school and the shortest route to central Scotland.

"A bridge to Morvern would take us to one of the most isolated mainland peninsulas, with no significant town until Fort William after about another one-and-a-half hours drive on predominantly single-track roads," said Mr Reade.

"So it is difficult to imagine that the business case for a tunnel to Morvern would stack up, since there would be very few balancing cost savings in reduced ferry operations.

"The alternative tunnel – to Oban – would need to be about eight miles long and would make it the longest road tunnel in the UK by quite some margin. It is difficult to imagine that would be justified for an island of 3,200 people who at the moment show little desire for one."

A Transport Scotland spokesman: “The draft recommendations are currently out for consultation and we would encourage island communities to respond, having already heard from them about the importance of reliable links to the Scottish mainland.

"The investigation of potential fixed links at Sounds of Harris and Barra, and between Mull and the mainland is one of 45 recommendations now being consulted on.  The recommendation identifies that the next step would be further business case work, to better understand the socioeconomic benefits, costs and challenges associated with these options.  We will of course include the communities that may be affected by these proposals in that work.  Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (NTSR2) also recommends ferry vessel renewal and replacement, progressive decarbonisation of these and the associated investment in port infrastructure.

“Further work is planned within the Islands Connectivity Plan, which will replace the current Ferries Plan from January 2023, supporting the delivery of NTSR2 priorities and the National Islands Plan.  Alongside further consideration of the long-term investment programme for new ferries and development at ports the Plan will undertake a ferry fares policy review alongside our wider Fair Fares review.  Following engagement and consultation in 2022, the aim is to publish a draft Plan for consultation by the end of the year.”