A kayaking centre and five-star bed and breakfast is being proposed for the derelict Craigendoran pier site in Helensburgh.
A planning application has been submitted to Argyll and Bute Council by Josephine Forrester for the site, which was sold at auction in 2016.
Corstorphine and Wright architects say the project would rejuvenate ‘an anti-social, dead-end space’ and ‘take back some of its historical significance.’
Opened in the 1880s, Craigendoran pier was a key part of the train and steamer links which saw the area develop rapidly.
The developers say that around two-third of the former pier footprint has some part of the structure still in place.
Naming the project ‘Go Coastal!’, they say most of the pier timber elements past low tide will be retained in the current condition, but some around the low tide line would be cut down to ground level.
In a supporting statement, they say: “A kayaking facility could be well accommodated within the available space with possibility for future expansion.
“Proposals fit wholly within the categories of recreation and tourism. The proposed pier B&B/Go Coastal (Kayaking excursions) offer to bring low-key marine activity to the coastal edge of a currently waste site, used for fly-tipping since the demolition of the former rail station in the 1960s.
“Further demolition of the station saw building material simply dumped on the beach, visible to this day.
Development would see the restoration of the area to improve conditions for local wildlife and allow fantastic opportunity for a new tourism offering to experience an exceptionally high quality bed and breakfast with kayaking experiences of the beautiful west coast.”
The main cladding of the building would be standing seam titanium zinc, while ‘pimped-up steel containers’ could connect to services.
Full details of the plans are on the council website – the reference number is 17/03284/PP ; below are architects’ images of how the site could look, and a proposed logo for the development.
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