Damaged bus shelter on Islay could be moved into graveyard space

A bus shelter on Islay could be moved into a graveyard space, council officials have reported.

The storm damaged shelter at Port Charlotte, with Argyll and Bute Council officers considering a replacement within disability compliance legislation.

In a briefing issued to councillors, the authority’s roads and infrastructure services department revealed that the shelter, on Main Street, could be moved back into the site occupied by a neighbouring graveyard.

No burials are thought to have taken place under the ground affected, although officials will check before any work is undertaken.

A report said: “The shelter was damaged beyond repair during a storm event last year and the replacement options now require us to consider disability compliance legislation.

“To meet this requirement and to avoid moving the established bus stop, our proposal is to move a shelter backwards off the pedestrian footpath, into the ground in the lower terrace of the church graveyard.

“This will involve the removal of a short section of the stone wall to form a base on the grass area and allow the reinstatement of the boundary wall and erection of a new shelter.

“Our burial records have indicated that there are no interments in this part of the graveyard and the presence of the access path to the building at the back of the graveyard, also indicate this is an unused area for interments.

“We are planning to do a preliminary shallow excavation, to further ascertain any evidence of historic interments, before taking the project forward.”