Goodbye to Norman

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our long-time convenor Norman Muir last October. He was our dedicated leader for more than seven years and is greatly missed by the Community Council and the whole Helensburgh community. He was a true champion of the Community, and he continues to influence much of our current work.

Waterfront

Much of our time this year has been devoted to discussions and plans for the development of Helensburgh Waterfront. A dedicated committee of community councilors and other community experts worked together to submit a bid to Avison Young, with proposals for the community use of the area. The desire for community use reflected the views of residents gathered through both our Vision for Helensburgh Project and a more recent digital survey.

We were disappointed not to be selected as one of the preferred bidders. We continue to have serious concerns about the transparency of the process and lack of real engagement with the community. We still have no information as to what is intended on this piece of premium public land fronting directly on the Clyde.

We have recently written to the Chief Executive of Argyll and Bute, all Argyll and Bute Councilors, our local MP and MSP’s expressing our concerns, and will continue to raise the issue at every opportunity to ensure the voice of the community is heard.

We are pleased to see the return of the skate park to the waterfront, where we believe it belongs, and congratulate Jackie Hood and the Helensburgh Skatepark Project on this achievement. Whilst only temporary it provides a welcome facility for our young people and families of all ages. It has brought life and excitement to our waterfront and is being well used.

We will continue to monitor future developments and keep the community informed. We thank the Helensburgh Advertiser for their regular attendance at our meetings and the coverage of our Waterfront project and other Community Council issues in their paper and digital newspaper.

Parliamentary Petition

On HCC’s behalf Stewart Noble drafted and submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament.  This concerned democracy in local planning. It called for local councils to “Prioritize local Participation in Planning Decisions”. This has now been taken forward for further consideration and is very relevant to our concerns about the Waterfront.

Pier Regeneration Group

The pier regeneration group supported by the Helensburgh Community Council is holding meetings with interested parties to move this project forward. They are working on a four-point plan to bring the pier back into use. We know this is something supported by the Helensburgh Community. Argyll and Bute Council have indicated that they would be willing to discuss an asset transfer. We are grateful to Bill Purdon for chairing the group, and to all the other volunteers who are working their hardest to make this happen.

Business Group

This group was set up last year by local businesses and HCC. It has held two further meetings and has 104 members on a separate Facebook page. It organized a successful Christmas window competition together with the Winter Festival.  A speaker from the CARS project gave information on grants for restoring historic shopfronts. There have been lively discussions around current issues such as the leasing of buildings and empty properties. Currently the group is working with Councilor Fiona Howard and the HCC to prevent the closure of RBS Bank, or at the very least to preserve some services. A petition has been launched. The idea of a Banking Hub is being investigated.

JLB Innovation Hub

This HCC initiative has now been officially launched in the Helensburgh library and is being administered by LiveArgyll. It provides office space and other facilities for those wishing to work locally.

Remembrance Parade at the War Memorial Hermitage Park:

Norman Muir always took great pride in organizing this annual event. HCC continued the tradition this year, working alongside the newly founded Helensburgh Branch of the British Legion. HCC members helped with the planning and publicity and acted as stewards on the day. Norman was fondly remembered at the beginning of the service on a cold but sunny November day.

Town Centre Issues

We continue to work with Argyll and Bute Council and raise issues highlighted to us by residents. This year these have included drains, streetlights, rubbish bins, road closures and parking. Please continue to use the “report it” function on the Argyll and Bute website to get issues resolved.

Beach Cleans

Regular sessions have been organized together with Plastic Free Helensburgh at both The Pier and the East Bay. The provision of a grant for skips from the Argyll and Bute Supporting Communities Fund has helped greatly with this. We are indebted to local farmer David Howie who regularly supports our cleans with his tractor. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the large numbers of volunteers who regularly turn out for these events and the individual litter pickers who can often be seen on the beaches and streets around the town. Thanks are also due to the gardening volunteers who help weed and tidy the shrub beds in Colquhoun Square.

Planning

Our active planning group regularly assesses all local applications, sharing thoughts, opinions and offering advice and support to residents.

Music in the Square

The initiative is funding a local composition project on the fiftieth anniversary of the sinking of the “Sugar Boat”. A second Helensburgh’s Got Talent Show is underway at the Hermitage Academy. There is now a form for local groups to use to apply for grants from this Scotland loves local fund, and we encourage those involved with festivals, events, and music groups to apply.

Engagement

We joined in the “Big Conversation” an initiative funded by the newly created Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network and organized by Plastic Free Helensburgh. More than forty representatives of local Helensburgh groups involved in environmental activities took part. The discussions were lively and wide ranging, and it is hoped this will lead to community groups working together and sharing resources and expertise on environmental issues.

We receive monthly written police reports and thank Inspector Bart Simonis for being our current contact. We have raised a variety of local issues. We welcome the recent addition of two Community Police Officers to the Helensburgh area.

We are currently organizing a meeting of local Helensburgh and Lomond community councils to explore ways we can work together on common issues and shared concerns.

HCC members have also regularly attended meetings of the Helensburgh and Lomond Committee and the Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Partnership to discuss and raise issues brought to them by the community. These have included warm spaces, parking issues, the waterfront, the skateboard park, community engagement, the pier, and the allocation of levelling up money.

We continue to be frustrated by the lack of progress with the Helensburgh to Dumbarton Cycle path and raise our concerns at every opportunity. We have been working with the Cardross Cycle Action Group on this.

We would like to thank those Argyll and Bute councillors who regularly attend our meetings, engage with us, and find out more about community views. We look forward to working with the new chair and vice chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond committee following the change of leadership at Argyll and Bute Council.

We would also like to extend our condolences regarding the recent death of Councilor Robin Currie who was for so long a councilor and leader of Argyll and Bute Council

We have had a variety of speakers and presentations including:

• Live Argyll re the new Leisure Centre
• The Save the Tower Campaign
• The Hill House engagement officer
• Colin Young (A and B council) re the cycle path and the Helensburgh in Motion Active Travel Survey.

Reflections

It has been a busy year, and members of the Community council have made a great contribution to our work and activities. They are all volunteers and come from diverse groups. They give their time and knowledge freely to support the community and make sure its voice is heard. It is our desire and purpose to make Helensburgh a better place to live, work, study, play or run a business.

It has been particularly pleasing to see the increase in members of the public attending and participating in our monthly meetings throughout the year.

The year ended with an election to fill two spaces: one being Norman Muir’s and the other following the resignation of Jonathan Meuli, who is now spending more time abroad. Both made valuable contributions and we thank them.

We were the only Community Council in the whole of Argyll and Bute which needed an election. We believe this reflects the interest of the community in our activities and a willingness to join us and get involved.  Louise McCormack-Fisher and Simon Vella were elected, and we are now back to our full complement of twenty.  Thanks to Bill Purdon who, whilst not successful, will be continuing his valuable work on the Pier Regeneration Committee.

Tonight, we will elect a new convenor to replace Norman. He will always be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the Helensburgh community and his legacy will live on in our activities.

We can always be contacted in person or via our website or Facebook page. Please follow our activities in the local newspaper, or even better join us at our monthly meetings held on the last Thursday of every month 7:00pm here in the Civic Centre. You will be made very welcome.