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The waterfront: what we heard last night, and what happens on Thursday

14 October 2026 · Helensburgh Community Council

Thank you to everyone who came to The Tower last night. Here’s a short round-up of the evening, the slides Dr Peter Brown and Fiona Baker presented, and what you can do before councillors decide on Thursday.

Councillors decide this Thursday, 15 October Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy & Resources Committee will consider the officers’ recommendation to sell the waterfront Common Good land for a supermarket. Email your councillors today and ask them to speak for you. Their addresses are below.

What we covered

The history of the waterfront

We started in 1838, when the waterfront was granted to the burgh’s councillors “without the power of Alienation”: held for the people of Helensburgh, not for the Council to sell as it chooses. Since then, the site has been repeatedly protected from supermarket development. A Co-operative supermarket was refused in 1993, a Safeway was refused in 2000, and a supermarket was dropped from the 2012 masterplan after the community rejected the 2011 draft.

What the consultation told the Council

Next, the Council’s own consultation. 3,430 people responded, and 94.8% of them opposed the sale. That’s more than 9 out of 10, or about 3,250 people. Most raised more than one reason: 9 in 10 said no supermarket, 7 in 10 said don’t sell Common Good land, and 3 in 4 said keep it for the community.

How Common Good land works

Then the rules. Common Good land can’t simply be sold like any other council asset. Officers now say this site has become Common Good “of the alienable type”, which would mean no Court consent is needed to sell it. The report offers no title analysis or legal opinion to support that, and the Council has refused to release its legal advice. The site still isn’t on a Common Good register, and the Council says it has “no current proposals to establish a common good fund”.

The problems with the officers’ report

Finally, the report going to councillors on Thursday. We set out ten issues with it. Among them: it calls 94.8% opposition “largely oppose”, and still recommends the sale. It sticks with a decision made in 2023 after a one-week exercise involving just 83 people. It relies on a 2024 retail study built on survey data from 2007. And it would put the money from the sale towards the leisure centre, which is already built, rather than into a Common Good fund.

The slides

Download the full presentation, or just the part you’re interested in:

What you can do now

1. Email your councillors today

Thursday’s Policy & Resources Committee is the next stage of the decision. Not every councillor sits on that committee, but any councillor can attend and tell it what their constituents think. Ask yours to do that, and to let you know afterwards that they did. You can copy the note below and add your own words.

Dear Councillor [name],

I’m writing to ask you to represent the people of Helensburgh at the Policy & Resources Committee this Thursday, 15 October. If you don’t sit on the committee, please attend and make the point for us.

In the Council’s own consultation, 94.8% of the 3,430 people who responded opposed selling the waterfront Common Good land. Please make sure the committee hears the strength of that feeling. The people of Helensburgh want this land kept for the common good of the town, not sold for commercial retail. I’m asking you to vote, or speak, against the recommendation to sell.

We are relying on you to carry our voice into that room. I’d be grateful if you could let me know afterwards that you did.

Yours sincerely, [Your name and address]

Helensburgh Central

Helensburgh and Lomond South

Lomond North

2. Come to Thursday’s meeting

The Policy & Resources Committee meets on Thursday 15 October. You can see the agenda and papers, including the officers’ report, on the Council’s website.

3. Make a formal complaint

If you took part in the consultation and feel your views are being ignored, tell the Council directly: lodge a formal complaint. Choose the category “Development and Infrastructure Services”.

4. Pass this on

Send this page to anyone who responded to the consultation but couldn’t make it last night.

We’ll post an update after Thursday’s committee.

Helensburgh Community Council

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