Oban Airport business park access improvement project on site

The first of Argyll and Bute Council’s nine Lorn Arc regeneration projects got underway at Oban Airport today (Tuesday 1st September).

Councillor Roddy McCuish, Chair of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, was on site to help break ground, saying: ‘’This is a flagship investment programme for the council, aimed at creating the key infrastructure to attract private sector investment in the Oban and wider Lorn area.

‘’It’s fantastic to see the first project beginning in earnest today. The work that is now underway is all about creating a site which appeals to the private sector, making it attractive for investors as a prime business park area, getting them to locate their premises here and bring jobs to the area.

‘’We take a wider view of growth though, and this project is linked to all the other great work going on in Oban just now. The public realm project is moving into the second phase after the successful completion of the first phase along Stafford Street, the new high school project received a huge boost recently as the council was minded to grant planning permission and tourist numbers to the area are set to grow with the introduction of RET later this year.

‘’The Lorn Arc programme is about seeing the bigger picture, with each individual project linked to the whole, delivering a package of infrastructure that makes Oban a prime site for private development and the jobs that come with that.

‘’We are delighted to see the first project start; I am sure it will serve as a real catalyst for positive economic change.’’

A £600,000 scheme will see access improvements to the Oban airport site to open up a business park opportunity and will be delivered in two phases – the road itself first then the site specification after that.

Following approval of the full business case and the granting of planning permission earlier this summer, the first phase of works is being designed and delivered by the council’s own roads team rather than an external contractor, providing best value for the public purse.

The 150 metres of two-lane carriageway and single sided footway, with associated service ducting, drainage and street lighting, is expected to be complete by November 2015.