Garelochhead is now officially classed as a ‘small town’ rather than a village in government statistics.
The settlement by the Gareloch is one of six places to have seen their population rise above 3,000 in the 2016 Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification – the others are Blackburn in Aberdeenshire), Conon Bridge and Maryburgh in the Highland Council area, Laurencekirk (Aberdeenshire), Leuchars and Guardbridge (Fife) and Winchburgh (West Lothian).
These are all are now classed as ‘small town’ as opposed to a ‘rural area’ by Scotland’s chief statistician.
The change was highlighted by MSP Maurice Corry, who said that although it may not mean a great deal in the sort term, it did demonstrate that the area’s population was expanding.
He added: This demonstrates the growing nature of our area, and the needs for investment in our area as well.
“If the Scottish Government is saying that Garelochhead is now not a rural area but a small town, then surely they will help with the demands that this places on local infrastructure by working with the local authority to ensure that transport links, community facilities and health centres are improved.”
The most recent figures on Argyll and Bute Council’s website date back to 2010 and show Garelochhead’s population as 2,610, meaning that at the time it was larger than Lochgilphead, where the council was based, and smaller than only Helensburgh (15,430), Oban (8,180), Dunoon (9,400), Rothesay (4,750) and Campbeltown (4,810).
The chief statisticians’s full report is available here.
Does that mean the council will now spend money improving “ the town ‘ ie, repairing the roads and treating us the same as the town of Helensburgh
It’s remarkable that Garelochhead is bigger than the place where the council is based. A comparison of spending in the two places would be interesting