HELENSBURGH Community Council has developed links with Plastic Free Helensburgh and recently cooperated on a report looking at the problem of litter, and the provision of litter bins, within the town.

The litter survey, and consequent inventory of litter bin suitability, took the better part of a year for us and members of Plastic Free Helensburgh to compile, and highlighted the need for more innovative design usage of bins and the inadequacy of bin capacity at various choke points of litter overflow in the town.

The survey report was submitted to Argyll and Bute Council at the end of May this year, and we and PFH are now awaiting the authority’s response.

Memorial Garden: We have also written a report on the current condition of the memorial garden in Hermitage Park and the remedial work that will be necessary to bring the garden back to a satisfactory condition.

This is in the context of the National Lottery’s funding of the refurbishment of the garden’s war memorial, and the expectations of the community that this asset to the town deserves a much better focus.

Our final report has recommended a course of action that is mutually supported by the community and Argyll and Bute Council to achieve completion. As with the report on the town’s litter bins, the findings have been submitted to the council, though in this case, preliminary negotiations on the way forward are already in progress.

Helensburgh Pier: Since our Visions for Helensburgh exhibition, held in March this year, the future development of the pier has gained more prominence and focus.

During the exhibition, the concept and proposals were very well received by the community and reinforced the overall waterfront strategy outlined by the exhibition.

A sub-committee has been formed to press ahead with the initiative and Argyll and Bute Council has also given positive support.

These are early days but it does show that community consultation and involvement can have a noticeable effect in moving forward.

Vandalism: The recent fire and subsequent demolition of the Hermitage Primary School Annexe has demonstrated two unpleasant facts.

The first is that petty vandalism, if unchecked, is liable to lead to more serious incidents. The second is that the cost of the fire and the demolition of the building is bound to be considerable, which may impact on the services provided to the community by Argyll and Bute Council. A harsh reality.