Playparks in Helensburgh and Lomond could be set for £368,500 of funding – with facilities in Garelochhead and Arrochar rated as a high priority for upgrading.
Argyll and Bute Council has revealed details of how it plans to spend £938,000 of Scottish Government funding to restore playparks across the area by the end of 2025.
And a report has revealed a proposal to allocate £368,500 of the latest batch of funding to Helensburgh and Lomond as part of a split across Argyll and Bute’s four administrative areas.
The facilities in Arrochar, and at Bendarroch Park in Garelochhead, have been rated as a high priority for upgrading, with Rhu playpark rated as medium
A ‘low’ priority rating was given to all the other playparks in Helensburgh.
A total of £155,000 has been allocated to Argyll and Bute’s playparks since 2021 from the Capital Allocation for Renewal of Playparks Fund. The distribution is based on population aged 0-14 years with an element for rurality.
The report will go before the council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee at its meeting on Thursday.
Executive director Kirsty Flanagan said: “Area officers from roads and infrastructure services have previously engaged with our youth forums locally with some success; however it has been suggested that this could be improved.
“It is now the intention to consult more widely through educational colleagues as well as disability forums to better understand the needs of local areas and groups.”
The committee is recommended to agree the funding split.
This is not news. I have been dealing with Council officers for some considerable time with regards to the play area at Bendarroch Park. The Council’s EDI Committee agreed Bendarroch Park as a high priority at their meeting on 2 June 2022. There was a suggestion that the funding may not be allocated at that time but following email correspondence from me with Council officers, Bendarroch was agreed as a high priority and I was given an assurance that the funding would be retained for Bendarroch. Council officers have had a problem securing a contractor via the tendering process and are now looking at other options. Local business man Steven Slee has been working with me on this project and is keen to provide any assurance he can. It has been agreed that Steven and me will meet shortly with the appropriate Council officer to try and move this project forward. As the EDI Committee minutes from the 2 June show, it is now 6 months since Bendarroch was agreed as a high priority. I hope this helps to clarify the situation with regards to this issue.