The local self-catering holiday operator who led criticism of the plans for self-catering at Lews Castle has responded angrily to the defence offered by Malcolm Burr, the council chief executive.
Graham McLellan who has launched his own blog at http://www.its-our-castle.co.uk which he says will cut through the council’s spin, dismissed Mr Burr’s claim that the mixed-use plan was “well-publicised” and “encapsulated” in the last Area Tourism Partnership (ATP) visitor strategy. Mr McLellan was on that body and said: “ATP was not aware that there were problems securing the original tender.”
Chief executive Burr
The council boss had also claimed the support of the community and the potential of the project to deliver significant long term benefits across the islands were major factors that enabled the Comhairle to secure over £9m of external funding for the project, an exceptional level of support.
However, the holiday operator also rubbished that and the claim that the community support and potential of the project had resulted in a £9 million funding package. Mr McLellan said: “The present proposal does not have the support of the community.”
Describing the self-catering plan as having “a complete lack of imagination and wit” he laughed off the suggestion by Mr Burr that it was “unique”. He suggested it was vital that Mr Burr and all concerned understand the economic impact of their proposals on existing island businesses. Mr Burr is currently claiming two separate procurement exercises were undertaken over the past three years in order to attract a private sector partner and that the nature of the private sector proposals for the upper floors was always going to be market-led.
But Mr McLellan insists no one had been told. He said: “No one was aware the first tender had failed and that a second tender was being sought.”
Holiday operator McLellan
Where Mr Burr said that the procurement had not been changed in the way alleged, he also said the council agreed to a second tendering on the basis of a report considered in public on 6 September 2012.
Mr McLellan was aghast at that and asked if the council press officer had also missed a report of that. No one remembers having seen it. He said: “The councillors are not aware of it. They have been briefed since and told all was well, the project given a thumbs-up. They were still expecting a luxury hotel to be delivered. Have they all been asleep at these briefings?”
The chief executive also declared himself “satisfied” with the procurement processes and insisted it was not underhand or corrupt in any way. He wrote: “Your comments in this regard are misleading, ill-judged and as they impugn the reputation of named officers of the Comhairle should be withdrawn in writing immediately.”
Now Mr McLellan has also rubbished the assertion he referred to any individual officer as being dodgy, adding: “We elect council members and trustees to the Stornoway Trust. If they are kept in the dark by officers, then I consider the democratic process to have been corrupted.”
Another row is likely over how accurate are the council’s claims of jobs that will be created. The council insists the public rooms will provide an outstanding venue for weddings, conferences and other celebrations and insist the proposal will create up to 30 direct jobs.
Mr McLellan seriously thinks not. He said: “I have been in correspondence with Joe MacPhee since October 2013. Check his emails back to me. You won’t be able to as he has put nothing in black and white to me. Your 30 jobs is well short of reality. Most will be seasonal and part-time.”
He then added, pointedly: “Twenty six rooms and 30 jobs? You wouldn’t be in business for long!” In any case, Mr McLellan believes the jobs will only be replacing ones lost in the existing accommodation sector.
“Perhaps some of the respondents on my blog will find employment there, they will need the wage not only to live on but to pay their bank loans. The staff from the Stornoway Trust’s Woodland Centre café might be glad to find alternative employment in the Castle Museum Café.”
Mr Burr had also said the assertion that the proposal amounts to a 100-bed self-catering operation is false.
Now Mr McLellan has set out in detail why that was his estimate and that of the other operators. He wrote: “As recently as Wednesday 5th Feb, at the OHTIA AGM, I asked Joe MacPhee, how many rooms and kitchens? Complete prevarication from him… “not so easy a thing to say, depends on this and that.”
“Strange answer as at that time detailed plans had already been submitted by Natural Retreats (the Cheshire-based preferred bidder) for listed building amendments for self-catering.
“He did though say 26 large family rooms, hence a reasonable enough assumption of 100 bedspaces. He has had five months to give answers to e-mails and phone calls, and finally in an open forum. Any errors in detail are down to him alone.”
Although Mr Burr insists the project is within State Aid rules, Mr McLellan is unimpressed and asks: “Does common sense and decency impact on the comhairle’s decision making?”
Although Mr Burr accepts there is a problem with ferry capacity, he seemed to say they would be solved by the new ferry. Many think otherwise – including Mr McLellan. He responded: “You recognise the bottleneck we have. Please also recognise the accommodation over-capacity that has built up via the investment of private capital. This proposal is bringing nothing new and will be in direct competition with ALL existing accommodation provision, not merely self-catering.”
The council sees recent positive press publicity in the tourism sector, with Lewis and Harris being named as the best island destination in Europe and the opportunities arising from the new Tourism 2020 Strategy as significant opportunities for expansion of the tourism potential of the Outer Hebrides. It says doing nothing with the upper floors of the Castle is not an option.
Mr McLellan responded: “I disagree. Find a fitting use, but do not jump upon the rolling bandwagon the private sector has created.”
Mr Burr concluded promising all relevant issues will be shared with the Outer Hebrides Tourism Industry Association in due course.
But the holiday operator is not impressed. He said: “Joe MacPhee has given me the same assurances, several times, including at the OHTIA AGM. His promises to keep me informed have proved worthless. As I say, he has given me nothing but verbal “assurances”. Not good enough.”
