Argyll and Bute Council has reached an agreement with Luss Estates Company over Helensburgh’s pier head site with Luss Estates no longer maintaining any ownership claim.

This agreement means that the council is actively moving towards bringing the pier head site to the market for mixed development use.  This locus includes the proposed new leisure centre and swimming pool which was designed by Gareth Hoskins Architects last year.  It also shows the council’s commitment for the pier head as the preferred location for mixed retail development, leisure and housing.

Sandy Mactaggart, Council’s Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure Services said, “Helensburgh’s pier head is an important strategic site identified within the council’s Local Plan as an “area for action” which seeks to encourage regeneration opportunities including retail development.  We believe that it will attract and keep people in the town centre as it improves what Helensburgh can offer shoppers.  Retail development on the pier head also has the potential to make the proposed new leisure centre and swimming pool much more affordable and deliverable .  I have no doubt that the news regarding the council’s settlement with Luss Estates will be seen by developers as a “green light” and therefore all going well, a preferred developer could be announced as early as summer 2012”.

Chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee Councillor Vivien Dance said, “I am delighted that the council and Luss Estates have reached this agreement; a long awaited outcome which will open up further opportunities to complement the exciting improvements which CHORD will bring to the town.    This agreement will now allow elected members to discuss with officers all options for the future of this site in consultation with the local community and I look forward to leading those discussions starting with a full briefing to the Area Committee at next week’s business day meeting”.  

Over the next few months council officers will be working towards preparing the development brief to take the site to the market.  Over the last year discussions have been taking place with a number of developers.  This was to make sure that when the brief is issued it meets economic development aspirations and is commercially viable. 

This coupled with the expected start of the Helensburgh CHORD (Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban Rothesay and Dunoon) proposals in February 2012 shows that the council is working to move Helensburgh forward.