Agreed by the Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee on 11 September, the funding had originally been identified for the long-term work required to make the permanent repairs. This estimate was based on widening the by-pass road, costs for consents, licences, ground investigations, design fees and contingency.

However, in the course of developing options for re-instating the road, consultants found two further significant geotechnical issues that could lead to further landslides. These will have to be addressed as part of the works to make the permanent repair to the road.

New options put forward have been reviewed by council officers and four were shortlisted for further review and business case development.

The committee agreed to procure the services of a specialist consultancy to develop the project to Strategic Outline Business Case and preferred option stage in the first instance, with a view to retaining them for the full life-cycle of the project.

Councillor John Armour, policy lead for Roads, Transport and Amenity Services, said: “This is a main artery route for Argyll and Bute. It was vital to get it open and traffic moving as quickly as possible after the landslip and we need to get the permanent repair right. It’s disappointing to learn that there is still some risk to the stability of the hillside and this is something we have to consider when selecting the preferred option.”

You can read the full report on the council website.