CAMPAIGNERS are working on multiple fronts to fight council plans for a waterfront supermarket in Helensburgh.
In one of the most aggressive pushes against the local authority and developers, Helensburgh Community Council have plans ranging from petitions to court action.
And they laid out their many plans in their public monthly meeting - in stark contrast with months of secrecy leading up to and since Argyll and Bute Council's preferred bidder decision over the land.
Hundreds attended a rally last month in defence of the pierhead skate park and against a supermarket at the site.
A petition has topped more than 4,700 signatures in a town of 15,000.
More than £7,000 has been raised towards applying to the Court of Session for a judicial review into the council's decision making process.
There are further moves investigating if the council actually owns the land they intend to sell or lease, and setting up a new charitable organisation to be ready for any potential alternative waterfront asset transfer.
No sketches or details have been provided by the council or Forrest Developments on their plans ahead of a planning application. And the community council said they were ready to fight when that dropped too.
"Thank you for all your support," said Polly Jones, vice convener of HCC at their October 31 meeting. "The range of ages supporting it was really brilliant.
"We know there is support from Cardross right to the Peninsula.
"Our petition target is 5,000 and for a town our size is phenomenal.
"We are very confident the council and our councillors are hearing us."
A letter-writing campaign encouraged by HCC has targeted council chief executive Pippa Milne and luck-installed council leader Councillor Jim Lynch.
"There are a lot of councillors who have not been coming here [to HCC meetings] and we want them to feel the pressure too," added Ms Jones.
Campaigners have filed a series of FOI requests to the council many of them rejected.
Convener Dr Peter Brown said the public support gave them the mandate for the "serious stuff" and they were working with Strathclyde Law Clinic and another solicitor to file a petition with the Court of Session. That alone will cost £5,000, plus VAT.
HCC has joined the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations to apply for pro bono advocate representation with the Court as well as protection from liability for costs in the legal fight.
He explained their fight with the council is over the lack of consultation, use of out-of-date data, bias to retail-centric outcome, and pre-determination.
The community council unanimously backed taking the first legal steps to challenge the council.
They also had 10 volunteers immediately sign up out of a minimum 20 to form a legal SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) for the waterfront. An application for a separate one for Helensburgh Pier is currently being processed by the regulator.
Dr Brown acknowledged: "I think pushback from the council is always inevitable."
HCC said they were also preparing for the inevitable planning application from Forrest Developments - the first and expected only opportunity to see what Helensburgh's waterfront would look like.
Nigel Millar, HCC member, said: "When this application is lodged, we are going to be ready to fight it."
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