Scene set for grand opening of Ullapool's new £10m Shore Street 'transformation' in Wester Ross village
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The opening of Ullapool's brand new Shore Street and Shore Quay redevelopment is to be celebrated after months of construction work.
The Wester Ross village is coming together to celebrate the grand opening on Saturday, September 30, from 2–4pm.
The event will feature a parade of transport with Ullapool and District Pipe Band, alongside a procession of electric wheelchairs, rickshaw tricycles, vintage tractors, with skiffs and kayaks in the water.
There will also be drinks and nibbles on offer at the marquee, followed by music from renowned local traditional musicians, Mairearad Green, Kim Richards, and Mike Vass.
Community volunteers and project workers will also be involved.
The huge project was first dreamed up by Ullapool harbour master Kevin Peach over six years ago, and was put into action this time last year (September 2022).
Mr Peach said: "The project has been a great success in improving pedestrian safety, traffic flow plus providing a beautiful space for all to enjoy. The community engaged with the harbour to highlight preferences such as local or recycled materials and minimal light pollution.
"With all the aggregate coming from the Ullapool quarry, the paving from Caithness and the timber benches recycled we have achieved their goals. The existing lighting was enhanced to remove the need for lampposts and currently we are fitting a lovely continuous lighting feature on the seawall. The opening event will be a community celebration to mark the transformation of the village seafront."
The new development also features slopes from the pavements down to the beach, to make it more accessible to go down to the shore, on a day with a low tide, and look out at the stunning view.
One of the main issues with Shore Street prior to the redevelopment, was that the road was too narrow for parking, ferry traffic, and the increasingly large size of cars and motorhomes. The road has now been widened to become a trunk road, with a bigger pavement, and crossings installed throughout the street.
However, mid–way through the works, contractors RJ MacLeod found that the sewers on the north side of Shore Street were "damaged and in a state of disrepair". So RJ MacLeod decided replace the sewers on behalf of Scottish Water, adding an eight–week delay to the works, but preventing any future issues with Shore Street sewers.
Local businesses are getting involved too by offering special deals on the day of the opening, such as free entry to Ullapool Museum, and special offers at NorthWest Outdoors.
If you would like your business to join in the festivities, email lucybeattielochbroom@gmail.com
