News

Following a tree survey in the early stages of the project, it was determined that a number of trees along the A83 were in poor health, overshadowed or dying. Work to remove the damaged trees will start on 9 August 2021.   Trees being removed, will be replaced with Hornbeam, specially chosen for the avenue along Poltalloch Street, as it is more salt tolerant than the Horse Chestnut. All existing healthy trees will be protected during the works.   On the plan below, trees coloured red are to be removed and green trees will remain. 

Do you want to make your home more energy efficient?Residents in Argyll and Bute are being given the opportunity to make their homes warmer and more energy efficient through the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme. Argyll and Bute Council has been awarded £1,742,819 to help residents make energy efficiency improvements to their properties. These include external/internal wall insulation, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. The programme is available to:

“What can I do?” “What can we do together?” Councillor Robin Currie, Leader of the Argyll and Bute Council talks about being proactively climate-friendly, meeting ambitious targets and looking after the resources we all need. Climate friendly Argyll and Bute – LGIU

  Work underway on significant tourism development project Issued by VisitScotland    Gigha’s visitor economy is getting a boost with a major infrastructure project to improve facilities for motorhomes and campers.   Work is underway on the project, to provide a new fully accessible toilet and showering facility with provision for 6 motorhome hook up points, camping pitches and a motorhome waste disposal point.  

Lochgilphead historic buildings and shopfronts are set to get a makeover with the launch of a new grant scheme to help building owners carry out repairs. It is part of Argyll and Bute Council’s ongoing investment and regeneration in the town, to help attract more people and jobs to the area and make the place more vibrant for communities.   The Small Repairs Grant is part of the Lochgilphead Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), a £1.6million project that runs until March 2026. It follows on from previous successful CARS in Dunoon, Rothesay and Campbeltown.

Dunoon Primary school’s transformation has received a commendation in the prestigious Scottish Design Awards.   Argyll and Bute Council’s £10.7 million investment in the school, including £5.08 million from the Scottish Government, involved refurbishing, partially demolishing and extending the building to transform it into a school fit for the 21st century, while carefully preserving its Victorian B listed building status.  

Argyll and Bute Council has announced that its award-winning Catering Service team is taking over the running of the Ocean Explorer café at the Scottish Association For Marine Science (SAMS) building in Oban.   The re-named Beach Café is now run by the Council’s catering service which already delivers a number of catering facilities across Argyll and Bute, including providing 6,000 school meals per day to more than 80 primary and secondary schools and 56 early years settings.  

All local authorities in Scotland have been provided with funding by the Scottish Government to ensure that free period products are available to those who need them. To make it easy for you to get what you need, we have made an arrangement with Hey Girls, one of Scotland’s main providers of period products, that means you can order from a range of products using this survey monkey link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZDQC8JT

Argyll and Bute community groups can now bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help buy or take over community assets, currently at risk of being lost. Groups looking to save their local pubs, theatres, shops or sports grounds from closure can apply to the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund for Scotland. Councillor Alastair Redman, Policy Lead Business, Regeneration and Commercial Services: “We have fantastic active communities here in Argyll and Bute who work tirelessly to provide for their area.

Issued by Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll and the Isles Tourism Cooperative and BID4OBAN   ScotRail’s new Highland Explorer, active travel carriage has been added to the West Highland Line to Oban making it easier for visitors to store bikes and hiking equipment and leave the car at home.   The Highland Explorer is the first five of ScotRail’s Class 153’s to be fitted out and the first of its type in the UK.