COUNCIL officials conceded that Helensburgh’s skate park will not be sited in the town’s Hermitage Park in August.

A letter from Argyll and Bute Council to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, said that the authority could confirm the skate park would not be placed at Hermitage “in the foreseeable future”.

The letter, dated August 7, also said the council accepted the “clear risk” that the fund (NLHF) would seek a return of a grant if the skate park did move to Hermitage.

But a report to a council committee in September gave the impression that a move there was possible. An official later apologised for the “confusing wording” of the report.

The future location of the skate park remains under scrutiny as part of the town’s Waterfront project.

The council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee agreed in December to instruct officers to look into the possibility of Kidston Park as an alternative site, with Hermitage as backup.

The letter, whose author is obscured in the version submitted to Helensburgh Community Council, said: “This letter is to address NLHF concerns regarding the location of a skate park in Hermitage Park.

“Argyll and Bute Council raised the possibility of a skate park in Hermitage Park as part of an exercise to look at feasible locations for the relocation of the Helensburgh Skatepark.

“The council can now confirm that a skatepark will not be relocated in Hermitage Park in the foreseeable future.

“Argyll and Bute Council are aware of the reasons that NLHF will not support the relocation of the skatepark within Hermitage Park as per the email of February 15, 2023.

“The council also accepts that within the timeframe of the NLHF funding award that a number of documents would require to be submitted to NHLF for their consideration should the council wish to proceed with a skatepark in Hermitage Park, as stated in the NLHF email of May 25, 2023.

“The council also accepts that there is a clear risk that NLHF would seek clawback of the grant should [Argyll and Bute Council] proceed with the proposed relocation of the skatepark into Hermitage Park.

“I trust that our understanding and acceptance of the above conditions and risk will allow the council to proceed with drawdown of the remaining funding and project closure.”

A report to the council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee for its meeting on Thursday, September 12 then said: “The risks regarding the potential location of a skatepark in Hermitage Park has been deemed acceptable and subsequently a letter has been drafted for consideration by National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

“Subject to approval by NLHF the project can now proceed with closure and drawdown of the final funding of £100,578.

“NLHF are the main funder of the project, and had earlier confirmed that locating the skate park in Hermitage Park may breach the purposes of their £2.3m grant.”

Fergus Murray, the council’s head of economic development, later told the meeting: “Hermitage Park has been completed from an economic services point of view for a number of years, and we are making the final drawdown to close the project financially.

“I know the wording has been interpreted by some as a decision having been made in relocating the skate park. This is not the case.

“The wording referred to the closure of the project and I apologise for any confusion that has arisen from that.”

Councillor Gary Mulvaney (Conservative, Helensburgh Central) said at the meeting: “I agree with you that the paragraph is a little bit mixed up at joining up a number of different strands.

“I am looking at the first sentence around the risks of the potential location – and it is to be made clear it is a potential location, as no decision has been made.

“Are you comfortable that the risks of moving it to any place, or leaving it where it is, have been looked at and are within acceptability?”

Mr Murray responded: “I have to apologise for the wording in it, as that was pertaining to the financial closure of the project and drawing down the final money.

“They have accepted it on the understanding that no decision has been made on the skate park. That would be subject to risks for any location.”