Soap
baron,
Lord Leverhulme
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More
than eighty years ago Lord Leverhulme set out to
develop and bring prosperity to Lewis and Harris.
He did not spare himself in that into all his activities
to that end he poured his boundless energy, commercial
and financial expertise, drive and enthusiasm. Not
only that but, generously, he drew on his personal
fortune to bring about his grand design for the
Island. Part of his plan was to improve the transport
framework and, in so doing, to provide much needed
employment by building roads. This included the
Grimshader/Tarbert road and Ness/Tolsta road links. |
There
was massive support for his plans. In October, 1919
the men of Tolsta, most of whom were employed on the
Tolsta side of building the road which had been started
in April 1919, at a village meeting pledged their wholehearted
support for Lord Leverhulme. At a meeting on 14th. October,
1919 at Port of Ness there was not one dissenting voice
to a motion deploring it that objections to Leverhulme’s
schemes were jeopardising “the bright future ahead”
and at the time of the Coll and Gress Farms land raids
9000 Lewis people signed their support for Leverhulme’s
schemes and against the actions of the 30 or so land
raiders.
Lordship
Disillusioned
Sadly,
though, Lord Leverhulme became disillusioned and he
eventually turned his back on the island because of
a combination of factors. These were a slump in the
business world in the spring of 1920, a £2 million
overdraft undetected due to an unbelievable oversight
in the accounts of the Niger Company owned by Lever
Brothers, the land raids and to resistance and obstacles
placed in his way by the then Scottish Secretary.
When
Lord Leverhulme abandoned his plans the Scottish Office,
in an attempt to alleviate the intense poverty and hardship
then prevailing and also, perhaps, out of remorse, gave
£35,000, a vast sum in those days, to continue
with road building works. For reasons unknown none of
this money went towards the Ness/Tolsta road.
The
Grimshader road link had been completed before Lord
Leverhulme closed down all his public works. This highly
useful road brought Grimshader 5.2 miles closer to Stornoway.
Crossbost and Ranish were also brought closer to the
town and the link thus formed, if one takes it as beginning
at the Tarbert/Leurbost road junction, after leaving
these villages it meanders through the south Arnish
Moor and, in traversing this territory, there is no
evidence that it has harmed what may be described as
a “wilderness” in the same way as has been
the Ness/Tolsta moor. The road brought moor and lochans
within reach of many to whom these aspects of nature
would otherwise be denied. The moor is not littered
along its route with abandoned vehicles as those in
opposition to a Ness/Tolsta road predict nor is the
landscape the anthill of people they say it would be
if the development were to proceed. The road being there
has enabled a NOSWA water station to be sited by a loch
to meet domestic need in that area. In short the link
loop road makes North Lochs more accessible, in countless
ways it is a valuable asset which in no way despoils
the area AND IT EXISTS.
Valuable
Asset
The
Ness/Tolsta road does not exist yet it could be every
bit as valuable an asset, if not more so, than the Grimshader
road link/loop.
In
the 80 years or so since it was first begun the pages
of the Stornoway Gazette have been peppered with letters
and references to the Ness/Tolsta road idea and also
to questions about it being raised in Parliament. So
what is the present situation with regard to public
opinion on the Ness/Tolsta road link ?
In
July/August 2001 Iomairt Nis, the Ness Development Company,
with assistance from the STEP Project, set out to answer
that question. The field worker was Jennifer Campbell,
a Glasgow University second year student, ( nighean
John Angus Aonghais Shonaidh Bhig ) from Port of Ness.
A
simple questionnaire and copies of information leaflets
giving the historical background to this controversial
project, together with reasons for and against that
have been stated over the years, were posted, with reply
paid envelopes, to EVERY household in Ness and Tolsta.
Royal Mail returned any that were addressed to unoccupied
premises. The questionnaire had For and Against boxes
to be ticked for being in favour or otherwise of the
Ness/Tolsta road idea and if against a road being built
whether a cycle track was favoured. Persons in households
responding were asked to indicate their ages in the
age bands 18-24, 25-40, 40-60 and over 60.
Public
Opinion
As
far as is known this was the largest sampling of public
opinion of this long standing proposed development in
the communities of Tolsta and Ness. A total of 777 people
recorded their choice in the issue.
The
figures emerging from the survey return, distilled down
to show the number of people over the age of 18 who
indicated their choice in the issue were :
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To
the question in the survey form “If you are against
a road being built would you prefer a cycle track instead
between Tolsta and Ness?” the response was negligible,
so small that it is of no significance.
In
North Tolsta there are about 400 individuals over the
age of 18 years and about 130 occupied houses. Therefore
the rate of return, in attempting to gauge public opinion,
appears to be close to the national trend which was
that of all those eligible to vote at the June, 2001
National Election 59% did so. However, the number in
favour is distinctly down on the overall figure and
also on those in the other sections. This is very much
changed from the position in October, 1919 as shown
above.
From
the data gleaned in the survey it may be deduced that
there is more than one reason for the fall in the numbers
in Tolsta in favour of the project. However, it is probably
safe to say that the main reason might be fears about
the increase of through traffic in the village. If that
is so then it is a valid concern but with imagination,
modern planning and civil engineering techniques, goodwill
and boldness that difficulty can definitely be overcome.
Resounding
Yes
The
result of this gauging of public opinion in the locality
of the proposed development is very clearly that of
those who returned the survey forms the majority want
the road link to be made. The majority is a substantial
one : it is a resounding YES for the development and
those who added comments in support of their standpoint
highlighted its wealth generating potential and that
it would arrest and reverse the alarming population
decline in the area.
History
confirms the long standing need and support for the
road project idea and now this survey underlines it
that the local need and support is still there. It is
now incumbent on the thirty councillors of Comhairle
nan Eilean Siar to give serious consideration to this
issue : they owe it to themselves not to be bracketed
with the thirty or so land raiders whose actions finally
so disillusioned and discouraged Lord Leverhulme despite
the signed support of 9000 Lewis people. Will the councillors
not now lift their sights to the heights and from there
see far into the future to the benefits and riches that
this much needed development will bestow on this area
and on the whole of the Western Isles. Years from now
let it be said of the Council, “Is n’t it
great that they had the courage and foresight to do
it.” instead of bemoaning, as we now do, the inaction
and malaise that has characterised this issue for such
a long time.
Councillors
Hesitant
Understandably
the local Comhairle nan Eilean Siar councillors, the
Tolsta, Port of Ness and Dell Wards representatives,
are hesitant about promoting the project within the
Council and at Transportation Committee level where
the first moves must be made if anything is ever to
come of it. With so many competing demands for limited
Comhairle money they take the view that a great many
other things in their Wards must be considered before
the Ness/Tolsta road link project. The latest estimate
of the cost of the development is in the region of £14
million. In the light of that the view taken by the
councillors is a reasonable one because it would not
be appropriate that other areas of great need in the
Western Isles would be on very slim budgets, for many
years into the future, if such a large sum were to be
taken from Comhairle funds.
The
kind of money required, therefore, must come from the
Scottish Executive, the UK Government and from EU funds
and the local councillors should, since there is now
a clear mandate for it within their Wards, make moves
to set up a Group within Council, made up of members
and officers, to seek special funding for the project.
This is the only way it can be done and with the experience
and expertise gained from the funding of the many massive
civil engineering projects in the Southern Isles in
recent years there is every reason for optimism that
the necessary funding may be obtained. The development
is clearly wanted by the local electorate and their
representatives in Council must now give heed.
K.
G. Finlayson.
26th November, 2001
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