COMMUNITY leaders in Helensburgh are registering a formal expression of interest in taking on the vacant seafront site formerly occupied by the town swimming pool.

The 'grey area' on West Clyde Street - so called because it was marked out in grey in early maps of the town's waterfront development - has been earmarked by Argyll and Bute Council for a retail development.

But surveys of Helensburgh residents and local independent retailers have consistently opposed the idea of site being sold off for such a project.

And there have been no formal expressions of interest ahead of the deadline this month.

At a meeting of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) last week, members were presented with a draft document setting out the group's "community expression of interest" ahead of the formal submission.

The document says the most recent public survey found a "desire to maximise the potential of the site for the youth of Helensburgh" and "a desire to have additional retail facilities, but not on this site".

A second bid there should be a "Helensburgh Lighthouse" at the site.

HCC's bid states: "We therefore wish to register an expression of interest on behalf of the community about this public asset.

"The community has expressed their opinion, which is that the site shiuld be utilised for the benefit of the public and we are obliged to communicate that opinion to Argyll and Bute Council."

They say that their priorities are:

  • To retain public access to this site;
  • To provide features on the site which complement the existing community leisure facilities;
  • To provide facilities which can be used by a wide age range;
  • To permit external funding opportunities by demonstrating the community-centred nature of the site which would open up the scope for charitable funding;
  • To maximise the views of, and from, the site;
  • To retain the potential to exploit the site in alternative ways in future years for future generations - as community views change, or solidify, about how the site should be used;
  • To minimise maintenance costs by working with, and utilising community organisations;
  • To maximise the potential commercial retun from the site without impacting the other objectives.

The document also outlines a vision of flowerbeds in an allotment arrangement, run either by the community council or Helensburgh Horticultural Society, an outdoor gym supportted by LiveArgyll, and a concrete skate park run by the Helensburgh Skatepark Project.

But resident Neil Walden told the meeting there should be an "iconic multi-use building" on the site - which he dubbed "Helensburgh Lighthouse".

He said such a building could put the town on the tourist map like the V&A in Dundee, the Lowry Gallery in Salford, or the Kelpies near Falkirk.

Mr Walden's proposal states: "This proposal has had consideable thought, but will require a great deal of detailed design work before a planning applications can be submitted to Argyll and Bute Council.

"The building will looking like a lighthouse from a distance. It will contain (in ascending order) some decks of car parking, retail space, a museum featuring the work of Henry Bell and John Logie Baird, a Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibition, social housing apartments, private apartments, a panoramic restaurant, a viewing gallery, and penthouse apartments."

Mr Walden said Scotland was famous for its lighthouses, some of the tallest in the world. And the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead has 13 floors, he added.