A second site in Helensburgh has taken a step toward a community buyout after a decision made by Scottish Ministers.
Helensburgh Community Woodlands Group applied to register a community interest in the two-acre site known as Castle Woods.
And this week the group’s convenor David Adams confirmed the application had been approved, as had a similar application for the nearby site at Cumberland Avenue last month.
Mr Adams said: “We are delighted to have the Scottish Government’s backing for transforming Castle Woods into a community-owned asset for everyone’s benefit.
“HCWG produced a draft management plan for the woods in 2012 which received widespread support in the local community.
“In 2013, we almost secured very substantial funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant Fund to implement the plan and we have been encouraged to re-apply if the owners can be persuaded to sell.
“Now that the Scottish Government has approved our application, we will be seeking to meet the owners to discuss the long-term future of Castle Woods.”
This approval, which effectively means that unless an appeal is succesful owners Margery Osborne and Thomas Paterson cannot sell the land to anyone other than HCWG, is only the fourth such decision in the whole of urban Scotland since the ‘Community Right to Buy’ provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 were extended to urban areas in April 2016.
Two of those four decisions relate to Helensburgh.
In making their decision, Scottish Ministers stated “Having considered all the information provided in the application and the views supplied by the landowner and HCWG, Scottish Ministers view is that they are satisfied that the proposed application to register an interest in land known as Castle Woods is in the public interest.
“HCWG’S aspirations show intent to address the needs identified and supported by the local community and, if HCWG are successful in acquiring the land in the future, the sustainable development proposals by HCWG should benefit the local community, the wider Helensburgh community and the wider area through ensuring the land is used for the benefit of the community through the provision of a long-term land and forestry management plan for the land known as Castle Woods, which will help promote the general and social, environmental and economic well-being of the community.”
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