Helensburgh pier is in such a poor condition that without financial investment it may have to be closed to the public, a community group has warned.
The Helensburgh Seafront Development Project (HSDP) aims to revitalise the area, with ambitious plans including pontoons, a sandy beach and a breakwater with walkway to create a lagoon.
But in the run-up to a public meeting to present its plans, the group says the town’s pier is so dilapidated that its future is in doubt, as shown in the pictures below (click to enlarge).
A spokesperson said the pier was in an increasingly poor and dangerous condition – it is owned by Argyll and Bute Council which has to make budget cuts of £18m in the next two years.
“We are worried they may not have the significant funds required to safeguard its future,” he added.
“We fear if storms damage the pier further this winter the council may have no other option than to close it to the public.
“Please come along to the presentation and support our plans for its regeneration and wider visions to improve our town’s landmark assets.”
The pier requires regular dredging for the Waverley to be able to call there, but HSDP says its photographs show structural work is also required.
The future of the pier car park area has remained unclear since the collapse of plans by Luss Estates for a supermarket on the site 12 years ago, although Sainsbury’s say they are still interested in the site and a ‘land swap’ arrangement was agreed by the council earlier this month. The pictures below are courtesy of Inspired Aerial Images.
A masterplan for the pier, featuring a swimming pool and leisure building, as well as shops, cafe, walkway and skatepark, was approved by the council in 2012 but there has been little sign of progress since then and the document only covers the current car park and swimming pool areas, not the pier itself: Masterplan Helensburgh Pierhead
The HSDP committee is holding a presentation to showcase its ideas – which are separate from the master plan – at 6.45pm on Wednesday October 7 in the Tower on Sinclair Street – everyone is welcome. More information about the event is here, and on the group’s Facebook page.
Some of the group’s ideas are shown below.
It’s a disgrace that the pier has been left to get to this state. How much has the front cost and the new council offices and yet one of the main points of Helensburgh has been left to rot. So the peir gets closed so what impact will this have on Helensburgh? No more Waverley more lost revenue. The town can’t go on much longer like this, A AND B Council should be ashamed of this.
Extend it at the same time as renovating it, removing or at least reducing the need for dredging and increase the possibility of a ferry service returning; a major contributor to it being cancelled was the service being so patchy to take into account low tides preventing access, putting people off using it. The area inshore to the south of the pier ought to have a visitors/shortstay pontoon.