When we were consulted about the project and as a result of our feedback, we were explicitly promised that safety and traffic management would be top priorities. The following commitments were made to protect both residents and road users on the B9176:
All timber would be held on site and removed over 3–5 days once felling was complete, allowing haulage to be coordinated and short-term.
Traffic management (traffic lights or Stop/Go system) would be in place to control traffic in both directions.
Timber lorries would exit only when traffic was stopped, avoiding any risk from live traffic.
Stittenham residents would be notified in advance of haulage timings to minimise disruption.
These measures were intended to keep everyone safe and to reduce disturbance during operations.
Unfortunately, we were informed hours before work commenced that none of these promised safety measures will be implemented.
Instead:
There will be no traffic management on the B9176.
Timber haulage will now take place over 4–6 weeks, not 3–5 days.
The plan now relies on a Timber Transport Management Plan agreed with The Highland Council — a plan that was not shared with us before work commenced.
There has been no consultation or communication before this major change was made.
The Community Council is deeply disappointed that the assurances given to our community have not been honoured. We have written formally to request a full explanation and clear details of how safety will be managed going forward.
We also want to make it absolutely clear that this situation is not the fault of the local contractor, R.W.J. Haulage. The contractor was not informed of the previously promised traffic management arrangements and did not include them in their project quote.
Our concern lies squarely with those who made and then disregarded the original commitments without any consultation.
We will continue to press for answers and for residents’ safety to be properly prioritised. Updates will be shared as soon as we receive further information.