Helensburgh's local politicians have spoken out for the first time about controversial council waterfront plans - and they insist they're listening.

The six councillors who sit on the Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee of Argyll and Bute Council issued the joint statement after the start of potential court action against the local authority.

Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) has applied to the Court of Session for permission for a judicial review of the council's secretive process and limited consultation for the prime waterfront site.

The local authority said 83 people were consulted. Campaigners have collected 5,000 signatures against their decision to put a supermarket between West Clyde Street and the leisure centre.

Councillors Mark Irvine, Fiona Howard, Ian McQuire, Shonny Paterson, Math Campbell-Sturgess and Paul Kennedy said in a statement: "As members of Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee we have been listening.

"We are not ignoring the groundswell of opinion from the people of Helensburgh and Lomond on the future of the Waterfront site in Helensburgh. Democracy is everything and at least 5,000 people have made their views absolutely clear.

"We are aware that Helensburgh Community Council is seeking a judicial review of the process of selecting a preferred bidder and it is right that they should do so, it is right that any council should come under independent scrutiny when their actions are the cause of such concern.

"We respect the decision to lodge an application for Judicial Review and will continue to listen to the people of Helensburgh and Lomond."

When Argyll and Bute Council announced Forrest Developments as their preferred bidder in August, the plan had few details but would include a supermarket. It is understood the Co-op would move from Sinclair Street.

A month later, the council set up a question and answer page on their website. At the first area committee meeting after the decision, no answers were offered directly to a flurry of issues raised by campaigners.

Councillors have declined to comment because they may have to take an eventual decision on a planning application for the site.

In that vacuum, HCC has filed it with freedom of information requests, investigations into who actually owns the land, a public rally with hundreds of people, the petition and fund-raising of thousands of pounds for the judicial review.

Argyll and Bute Council has not responded to the Advertiser's request for comment about the potential court action.