Options for spending over £650,000 on improvements in Helensburgh town centre are being put to councillors next week.
The money is left over from the CHORD project, which saw over £7m spent in the town by Argyll and Bute Council.
Although controversial and dogged by problems including delays to construction work, the project has been hailed as a success and won three national awards.
Councillors at Tuesday’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee meeting are support seven options:
- Earmarking extra cash to maintain the flower beds and shrubs and benches in Colquhoun Square, to protect them from cutbacks in council spending, and adding extra litter bins
- New granite paving in the stretch of James Street between West Clyde Street and West Princes Street
- Similar paving on East Clyde Street, as far as Maitland Street
- Replacing the pavement on the next stretch of East Clyde Street, as far as Maitland Street, with asphalt with chips
- Road and pavement resurfacing in Maitland Street
- Road and pavement resurfacing in John Street, between West Clyde Street and West Princes Street
- Expanding the ‘outdoor museum’ in the square – currently 15 of the plinths have exhibits, and some of the remaining 100 could be sued to connect visitors with attractions such as Hill House.
The report argues that £45,000 should be set aside to seek funding from Creative Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund to expand the museum – a ‘Light the Comet plinth’ is also suggested.
The executive director of development and infrastructure services Pippa Milne argues that an eighth option – developing the West Bay Esplanade as far as Kidston Park, as originally planned when the CHORD project was launched – should be ruled out: “There is a cost risk in proceeding with this option due to the deteriorating condition of the seating wall and sea wall side of the esplanade which, when disturbed/removed may unearth additional works with related cost implications that could result in works exceeding the available budget.”
It would be good to see the pavements/road markings more defined. Several occasions I have seen both children and adults walk strait out not noticing the road edge around Colquhoun Square. There is nothing to define where exactly the road is, this also goes for the terrible marking of parking bays which are impossible to see when in a vehicle.
Just imagine how difficult it is for a blind or partially blind person or a guide dog that are specifically trained to road edges and similar objects. So before any money is wasted on flower beds etc let’s get the priorities correct and hopefully prevent an accident.
Already down South of England several councils have been challenged with regards to the same situation, it would be interesting to see the local councillor’s views on this.