The vice-chairman of a community group working to secure the future of Helensburgh pier says they have no choice but to ‘sit tight’ until an overdue council report on the safety of the structure is published.
But Gerard Lindsay, of Helensburgh Seafront Development Project (HSDP) has reported positive feedback to a fund-raising mine which reappeared on the town’s promenade last week.
The restored and repainted World War II mine, which had been stored by Argyll and Bute Council, was placed near the swimming pool to allow the collection of donations from the public towards maintaining the pier.
HSDP has been working with the council since December for a solution to the problems at the pier, which has been closed to marine traffic since October.
Waverley Excursions Ltd have confirmed that the iconic paddle steamer will not call at the pier during the late May bank holiday, but a solution is hoped for by summer.
Gerard said: “Our view is that we just have to sit tight. There is no other way of doing anything at the moment.
“We are waiting on the analysis of the wooden structure, and there is no way any decisions will be taken until the results are in.
“The key points are what is required, how much will it cost and if Argyll and Bute Council will be able to fund it. Right now it is as simple as that.
“It would be fantastic to say we can have it done and ready for summer if not for May, but in HSDP’s experience of working with the council, they have done everything they said they would do when we started working with them in December.
“Where it is going to end up, I am not particularly sure. Reading what has been said, there is a certain degree of pessimism, a lot of which has been created by a lack of information.”
But there have been more positive developments since the mine was installed, with a steady flow of donations coming in.
Mr Lindsay continued: “We are hearing a lot about the mine. Myself and two of my colleagues have been in a number of places in the town where people are talking about it being back.
“It was an ever-present feature for a good while and had sat wasting away, so to get it back where it will draw attention is a positive.
“I can’t give you a figure for how much has been raised in donations, but I do know people have been dropping money in.”
But although much has been made of the Waverley’s change of plan for its May bank holiday timetable, Mr Lindsay said he was keen to highlight that HSDP’s strategy for the pier went beyond that.
He added: “I probably would be at pains to stress that it is not just about the Waverley, although it is a fantastic attraction and we would want it to call at Helensburgh again.
“But HSDP’s plan is more for the medium to long term. We want to regenerate the pier and increase its use. We want new life for the pier, with new craft coming in, bringing more visitors.
“I know Councillor Ellen Morton has said that the pier doesn’t generate revenue. It would be our medium to long term plan to bring it up-to-date with the introduction of pontoons to one side, allowing craft of various sizes.
“We want to make Helensburgh pier open for business again.”
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