Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has welcomed Highland Council’s decision to re-surface the deck of their pier at Uig in Skye.

Confirmation of the improvements came at a meeting of CalMac’s Shipping Services Advisory Committee (North) held in Inverness. CalMac Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair said: “We are pleased that the Council has finally cleared the way for this work and with the assurances which have been received that we will be able to work round the contractors. This should mean that our services out of Uig will not be interrupted for the six months we believe the work will be taking place. I am also pleased that the Council’s Chairman of Roads Charlie King has indicated that the Council will consider making the provision of a bus service on the pier for foot passengers a permanent facility. The Council advise us that the pier is not wide enough to construct a covered walkway and it appears that continuation of the bus service is the best compromise they can come up with. It is a considerable improvement for passengers if they do not have to walk the full distance of the pier.”

The condition of the pier at Uig has been a matter of some concern to Caledonian MacBrayne in recent times and provision of a new deck surface will go a long way towards allaying concerns about passenger safety and traffic management. Passengers to and from the Western Isles will now benefit from the improved state of the pier.

Caledonian MacBrayne is now urging the local authority, the Local Enterprise company and the tourist agencies to make a joint bid to have the whole area approaching the pier developed into an integrated tourist and development site. Mr Sinclair added: “We are keen to work with all interested parties with a view to making Uig an attractive and welcoming gateway to the island and an ideal stepping-off point to the Western Isles. Improvements to the deck of the pier are hopefully just the start of the establishment of Uig as a key part of our own marketing strategy and the wider interests of Skye and the Western Isles.”