People in and around Helensburgh will have the opportunity to comment on Argyll and Bute Council’s new parking proposals, as well as make suggestions of their own, at drop-in events on Tuesday 24th March and through an online consultation which will run from Monday 23rd March to Friday 3rd April.

The drop-in events at the Victoria Halls on Tuesday 24th March run from 2pm to 4pm and from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and gives local people the opportunity to comment on the parking proposals for the town.

There will also be the opportunity to comment through an online consultation, which can be accessed through the consultations section of the council website, and runs from Monday 23rd March to Friday 3rd April.

The proposals include:                         

• On street
  • Town centre free for one hour when parking in a marked bay within the restricted parking zone*
  • Outer zone free for two hours. Residents in both town centre zones will be able to purchase permits, at a proposed cost of £40 per annum.
• Off street (Sinclair Street, Maitland Street and the charging area of the pier car park)
  • 15 minutes – 20 pence
  • 30 minutes – 40 pence
  • 45 minutes – 60 pence
  • 60 minutes – 80 pence
  • Maximum stay 4 hours
    • Three month permit £113
    • Six month permit £210
    • Nine month permit £302
    • Annual permit £392

Chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee, Councillor Gary Mulvaney, said of the parking review: ‘’We now have had two separate workshops with our officers which enabled many difficult and contentious issues around parking to be raised by local members.  As a next step we are now eager to hear people’s views on parking arrangements for the town.

‘’Our overall aim is to get parking turnover in the centre of town, supporting both local businesses and consumers, making sure that there is adequate short-stay provision for people to go about their daily business.

‘’We will be considering all views on the matter and using them to inform the plans, which will be going through the area committee in due course. Following this, if there are suggestions to change parking charges in our car parks, say for example by introducing a two-hour free period, that matter will need to go through the council. After that, we are likely to have a statutory consultation period as we seek to amend road traffic orders to implement the changes.

‘’Please either come along to the events or participate in the online consultation. We want the finalised proposals to reflect, as far as possible, what the people of Helensburgh want.’’

 Note

*A restricted parking zone (RPZ) is a specific type of parking restriction which will be applied to Helensburgh town centre. In the RPZ you can only park in a marked bay. This reduces the clutter that would be caused by yellow lines and multiple signs.