A Helensburgh group is celebrating its successful campaign to make the Scottish Government reconsider building a road through a local beauty spot.

Helensburgh and District Access Trust teamed up with The Friends of Loch Lomond to petition the government to reassess a £180 million upgrade of the A82 on the bonnie banks of the loch between Tarbet and Inveranan.

The groups say the proposed upgrade will impact the wildlife and nature of the loch.

Chair of Helensburgh and District Access Trust and vice-chair of the Friends, John Urquhart, thanked the petition’s supporters for their work.

He said: “We are greatly indebted to MSP Jackie Baillie, whose excellent advocacy on our behalf undoubtedly helped convince committee chair, Jackson Carlaw, and his fellow committee members of the strength of our case for a re-think and a fuller appraisal.

“We are obviously delighted to get this backing from the Petitions Committee as this was the second time our ever-growing petition had come before them.

“On this occasion they had to consider written evidence submitted by Transport Scotland and the National Park as well as our case due to the major shortcomings and inaccuracies we identified in the initial appraisal.

“[We were helped by] expert Dr Geoff Riddington - an economist whose specialism is in the application of cost/benefit analysis to Transport Infrastructure decisions.”

MSP Jackie Baillie was pleased with the outcome, mentioning that the road would be "detrimental" to nature and the community.

She said: “I was pleased to support the strong case put forward by the Access Trust and the Friends for a fuller appraisal of the A82 route options as Loch Lomond is far too important a national scenic treasure to steamroller through.

“[This is] an option which could have a major detrimental impact on this environmentally sensitive stretch of the loch's shoreline as well as delivering no improvement in the quality of the lives of local residents in the lochside communities of Tarbet and Ardlui.

“[They] would still be faced with heavy traffic thundering through their villages and dangerously close to the frontage of the local primary school in Tarbet.”

Transport minister Kevin Stewart responded to the petition and the decision to reconsider, assuring that public feedback will be “taken into account” for further decisions.

He said: “As with all improvements to the trunk road we are following a rigorous assessment process to establish the design of the A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan scheme.

“We are satisfied that we have followed due process and remain satisfied with the outcomes of the options appraisal process.

“We fully understand people feel strongly about this route and this is why maintaining the natural beauty of this key lifeline link is an integral part of the design to ensure we deliver the right scheme and keep impacts on the environment to the absolute minimum.

“As with all our major projects, engagement with local communities and other stakeholders is also at the heart of scheme development.

“This will ensure feedback received is taken into account as we develop our plans.

“While there is still a lot of development work to be carried out, which is being informed by our enhanced understanding of the specific complexities associated with improving this iconic route, we continue to push forward the preparation stages to deliver this scheme as soon as possible.”

The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee has also written to the Transport Minister voicing their concerns on the road.

The minister said these concerns will be considered with a response to come in the future.