Argyll and Bute Council has opened a public consultation on its plan to sell a prime stretch of Helensburgh’s waterfront for a supermarket development. It’s open now and closes at midday on 10 August.

This is the next stage in a fight that’s been running for almost 2 years, and it’s the one that counts. The land in question is Common Good land: held in law for the benefit of the people of Helensburgh. The Council is only its custodian. It belongs to all of us, and it needs our permission to sell it. Once Common Good land is sold, it’s gone for good.

The consultation is your chance to say no. Here’s how we got here, and what you can do about it.

What’s happened so far

In August 2024, the Council gave a developer the go-ahead to build a supermarket on the waterfront, on prime ground next to the leisure centre.

Thousands of us objected. We signed the petition. We formed a human chain around the site in October 2024. We chipped in to fund the campaign. (Thank you. Every bit of it counted.)

The Council pressed on regardless. It refused to meet the Community Council to talk it through, then spent £75,000 of public money in court defending its decision not to consult us at all.

Then the ground shifted. Legal advice threw doubt on whether the Council can sell this land at all. The site sits on Helensburgh Pier, bought with public money in 1838, and we believe it has been Common Good land ever since. There’s no evidence it was ever taken off the Common Good account, and none that it was handed over for any purpose that would change that.

So after spending £75,000 to avoid asking us, the Council is now, finally, asking us.

Why this land matters

It’s been ours, and in use, for well over a century. A pier and harbour. Open space for community events. The skateboard park. Free parking. The swimming pool. The recognised Sea Kayak Trail. The Waverley still ties up there.

A supermarket on that ground takes all of it off the table, permanently, and threatens the local businesses that make the town what it is.

How to respond. It takes 2 minutes.

The consultation asks two things: your view on the proposal, and your postcode. That’s it.

To keep every response clear and consistent, we’re asking everyone to use this exact wording:

I object to the proposed disposal of the Helensburgh Waterfront Common Good land. I do not support any sale or commercial development, including for a supermarket. The site has not lost its Common Good character. This land should remain protected as Common Good property and be retained for the benefit of the people of Helensburgh. I ask the Council to preserve its Common Good status and ensure it continues to be used for public benefit and public use.

Paste it straight into the form here: Helensburgh Waterfront Commercial Site consultation

If you can add a line of your own about what this land means to you and how you use it, even better. That’s the part the Council can’t argue with.

Then tell your neighbours. Tell your family. Tell anyone who’d miss this land if it were gone. Every single response is a voice, and we need as many as we can get.

Six weeks. One form. Our waterfront.

This land is our land. Make your voice heard today.

Thank you,
Helensburgh Community Council