HOW good is your place? Community chiefs in Argyll and Bute may have some of the answers, at least, for the Helensburgh and Lomond area.

The results of a six-month consultation, entitled ‘How Good Is Your Place?’, were revealed at a meeting of leading local figures on Thursday, February 6.

The Helensburgh and Lomond community planning group heard that movement, transport and car parking were the biggest priorities for local residents.

Samantha Somers,  community planning officer with Argyll and Bute Council, revealed that the consultation attracted more than 1,500 responses across the full authority area between May and October.

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She told the meeting at Arrochar’s Three Villages Hall: “The number of responses was treble the number that we had last time, and Helensburgh and Lomond was a big proportion of that.

“At Argyll and Bute level, movement of people was the biggest dramatic area, whether that was by public transport or making your own way.

“For Helensburgh and Lomond, the top priority was moving around. It was number one for six out of the 10 communities who responded and in the top three for nine of them.

“‘Moving around’ covers the state of the roads, cycle paths and town paths, and sharing the road with the likes of cyclists and log lorries.

“The second priority for Helensburgh and Lomond was road traffic and parking. That was in the top three for Arrochar, Tarbet and Ardlui, and almost all communities said it was a major issue.

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“The third priority was work and the local economy, which was number one for one community and top three for six out of ten.”

Ms Somers said that comments submitted during the survey had focused on issues such as cycle paths and footpaths.

She added: “Speeding was a perceived issue in many areas, and people also wanted parking to be provided. There is congestion identified, especially in Helensburgh.

“In terms of work and economy, people felt there was not much employment in the area, other than at Faslane or Coulport.

“The youth and community council forums were thought to be positive roles for the public to get their feelings across.

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“We are on track to have all the information from the consultation split into individual communities to see exactly what the priorities are for Argyll and Bute.

“It really is no holds barred – all comments submitted during the consultation will be taken on board.”

All information collected by the council will be available online in due course, once the collation work is complete.

Ms Somers also said that a half day workshop is hoped to be held in May once the full results are released, in order to look at the priorities and actions that can be taken.

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