Three Isle of Arran businesses closing/relocating

[@JamieW-o7b]

When I lived in Seamill I could come over for the day, but when I tried to book a winter break I found that if the ferry was cancelled you were still charged at the FULL B&B rate at the hotels! A charge yes, but be thoughtful!!

[@andrewlinesjah4538]

I've heard this mild Scots accent before . Tell me about it . I have even heard a milder Scots accent . And I have been tae Arran ...

[@bradastonk3422]

amazing place, your so lucky to to live there, my uncle lives in whiting Bay so been a few times, I could easily live there too, great work pal 👍

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

Thanks :-)

[@russmclean2395]

Thanks for going to all of this effort Dave. It is very helpful and an important subject for the island. I’m trying to remember one of my first jobs in 1977 with Bruce Moglio and the Lemonade lorry (it supplied most of the pubs and hotels). Was John Thomson’s yard a depot of some sort in the 1970s? We have planning permission to open a new village shop in Sannox as part of the Sannox Hotel rebuild/renovations. One of the concerns is when the food lorries cannot get across. I mentioned this to a well known supermarket lady a while back and suggested a joint effort… the idea of buying a large depot to backfill with wholesale pallets of food and a large freezer room facility. That way, food lorries could cross on the ferry at quiet times and fill up the depot. Then if bad weather happens, there will still be plenty of food on the island to help refill the supermarkets and prevent the empty-shelve-syndrome.

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

I don't remember as far back as the 70's sadly. I first came in about 1979 or so. Yes, that would be AMAZING if a shop opened. Goodness knows it would be a godsend for the locals. The food lorries get priotity in disruptions. I can't imagine the Co-op etc working together well enough with 'rivals' to organise storage though. But the ferry is never normally off for long

[@dougie6886]

I stayed at the glenartney hotel in brodick on numerous occasions. Closed down a few years ago. A lovely young couple ran the business. So sad to see Arran losing so many businesses and hard working people.

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

Yes, I can remember the previous owners and the ones before tha too. Yup, there aren't many working age people left here now, not enough. No rentals at all.So businesses suffer too. It is, as you rightly note, very sad indeed

[@witterquickly]

@@davetheraverovingtherock Do you have a rough idea of the proportion of how many buildings on Arran are unoccupied second homes or airbnb rentals?

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

Sadly I don't know the percentages. I can give an example though. In the centre of Lamlash there is a terrace of small houses. 26 of them Only 3 are occupied full time by locals. In the centre of Whiting Bay there are almost no houses with people livng there at all.@@witterquickly

[@scottballantine1329]

Wow Dave… I had seen the advert for the JTC yard and petrol station go up on Rightmove a few weeks ago, but didn’t know the whole business was being wound up. Such a shame for anyone locally employed… Funnily enough a few weeks ago we went into the BoS branch to talk about opening a business account there, but we were told it wouldn’t be registered in Brodick, only centrally in Edinburgh, which didn’t interest us… And, flippin eck, the chemist too… Changes changes….

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

Yes. An even bigger problem for the ex-employees is that some lives in Thomson rentals so they are sold too. And there are no rentals on Arran whatsoever. At any price.

[@scottballantine3757]

@@davetheraverovingtherock Is there no-one in the business who wants to keep it going? To keep the service proposition going for islanders and people wanting to move to Arran, keep everyone employed and keep the rentals going etc... If you know the directors, tell them I'll come and do it for them... And then I'll look to buy the business...

[@WoodyWeb1]

So sad to see key businesses leave the island. Visited recently and there seems to be a lot of properties on the market too. Is there truth in the saying that it all starts and ends with Calmac? Enjoying your varied content from Arran.

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

I think Calmac is the only reason the population isn't decreasing even faster. Simply put, you can't have a tourist and a local in the same house. If the ferry was more reliable and accessible, there would be even less locals and more tourists instead. There are lots of jobs, nobody to do them. And there are not many locals now, just like the Clearances before.

[@YARROWS9]

As someone who loves the island, especially staying a few nights at the fantastic Auchrannie resort. I'm not going to lie when I say we are put of booking there. Because of the unreliable ferry services.

[@davetheraverovingtherock]

Yes. Islands are isolated from the mainland, remote, and of course that's the attraction. I accept that fact and choose to isolate myself because the benefits outweight the drawbacks, but we all have to decide for ourselves of course. Conversely it means that I almost never go to the mainland....Arran becomes the 'Whole World'. I have accepted this although its a big sacrifice.

[@Ctaff63]

Well done Calmac, and a special thank you to the useless SNP. 👎🏻

[@report-all-potholes-and-ro2712]

Scotland's decline has been exacerbated by SNP policies - everything from higher taxation and minimum alcohol pricing and a reluctance to support businesses, one of Patrick Harvie of the Greens' main forte.

[@murphy1094]

😂😂 politics is an illusion to make you think you have a choice... wake up pal

[@PP-G]

The result of Brexit and isolation of a seaborne nation stranded with no trade deals. .venture capitalists from Londinium

[@SigmundJaehn]

Rubbish. Try brexit and the cost of greed crisis.