Scottish Government's rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing urges Highland Council and landowners not to miss out on latest round of funding for transport improvements in areas with logging work; Mr Ewing, who is also MSP for Inverness and Nairn, said only days are left before the next deadline for funding through the Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF)
TIME is fast running out for councils and landowners to nab a share of a multi-million pound pot that has already seen almost £10 million spent on road improvements in areas with logging.
Fergus Ewing, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy who is also MSP for Inverness and Nairn, has warned that councils and landowners only have days left to apply for the latest funding support for Timber Transport projects.
The Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF), managed by Scottish Forestry, provides co-funding for projects that minimise the impact of timber lorries on Scotland’s rural road network. The deadline to submit the next round of applications is March 9.
“Over the past 14 years, nearly £60 million of Scottish Government funding has helped to deliver a substantial number of projects to improve mostly minor rural roads throughout Scotland or that promote modal shift, taking lorries off the road and transporting timber to market by sea," said Mr Ewing.
"This government support has been instrumental in securing co funding of £30 million and the completion of 248 projects across Scotland.
“Over the past five years alone, £28 million of that funding has led to a total investment of over £40 million in works to minimise the impact of transporting timber to market on communities and the environment.
“The fund began with £3 million per annum in 2005 but now disburses £7 million each year to help the sector, to improve our economic and environmental performance, to unjam bottlenecks and to work with local authorities, which welcome the work that we have done on timber transport.
“We will be maintaining this level of investment in the coming year and look forward to seeing more projects come to fruition.”
Work on minor B, C and unclassified roads – including drainage, strengthening, improving the road surface, widening corners, adding traffic calming measures or providing passing places – makes it easier for local residents and business to share the rural road network. A number of in-forest bypass roads have also been created.
In addition the TimberLINK Service, supported by the fund moves timber by sea on the west coast of Scotland, removing nearly one million lorry miles a year from Scottish roads.
Mr Ewing added: “The Timber Transport Fund helps to realises projects that deliver benefits today and which will support ongoing investment in new forest well into the future.
“The fund has been a terrific success story in Scotland, and I am grateful to all the Regional Timber Transport Groups (RTTG) throughout Scotland that work hard to identify potential candidate schemes for submission to seek funding support through the competitive bidding process.
"Local authorities and forest owners have long been engaged with this project and I would encourage them to bring forward more ideas before we reach the March deadline.”
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