HELENSBURGH'S seafront skate park may not have a place in the town's new-look waterfront – but the local councillor who helped make the present facility a reality says she would be happy to work with local young people to find it a new home.

The present skate park, to the west of the town's swimming pool, has not been mentioned so far in discussions on the multi-million pound regeneration of Helensburgh's waterfront.

And the former secretary of a community group set up to fight for a permanent skate park in the town says she wants to know whether the facility will be accommodated in the £17 million redevelopment plans.

Patricia Lawson, who was part of the Helensburgh Skate Park Redevelopment group (HSPR) until it disbanded last year, told the Advertiser that Argyll and Bute Council had been unwilling to commit to providing a permanent skate park until the waterfront development was agreed in principle.

The current temporary facility was completed in April 2015 in response to concerns that young people were using the new-look Colquhoun Square as a skate park, putting older people off using the area.

Mrs Lawson said: “Upon completion [of the temporary park] I had the opportunity to give a presentation to the council on our plans to continue to raise funds to make this a permanent, concrete park, and we were asking the council to earmark that piece of ground for this purpose.

“At the time, everyone seemed happy with the presentation and the need of a permanent skate park on the pier – where it is in full view of the public and there is never any trouble.”

But Mrs Lawson says that within weeks of that presentation, she was told the council was no longer willing to commit to providing a permanent skate park on the pier – or at least until confirmation that the waterfront development would definitely go ahead.

She continued: “I understood that to mean that if the skate park didn’t fit in with the plans, there would be no park!

“I was told that HSPR could possibly be given the opportunity to raise the funds in 2020, and in the meantime we could raise small amounts – but obviously neither of these was going to achieve what we were trying to do, and the group disbanded.

“I would like to hear what plans the council have for upgrading the skate park, and keeping it on the pier. I see it being used by all ages almost every day – without any disagreements.

“We have two lovely play parks situated in Kidston Park and Hermitage Park, but these are for young children.

“HSPR had ideas to develop the whole walled area on the pier, which used to be the outdoor swimming pool and was donated to the town. We planned to make different sections suitable for all ages to use skates, skateboards, bikes and scooters.

“Considering the 'Population shrinks in area for a fourth year' article also in the paper last week, one would expect the council to start considering young/teenage people.

“The skate park is very widely used – right now I can see six young people on it, and they're having a blast.

“Just because there's no longer a formal group supporting the idea doesn't mean the council doesn't need to be thinking about the young people in the town.”

Helensburgh councillor Ellen Morton, who supported the bid to provide a temporary facility next to the current pool, said she supported the principle of providing a permanent skate park somewhere in the town – but that it was too early to say whether it could be incorporated into the waterfront project.

“In principle, I would have no problem supporting a group that wants a permanent skate park,” Cllr Morton said.

“The current site has worked very well, because it's in a very visible area and so is effectively self-policing, but it was always a temporary facility.

“Unfortunately neither I nor anyone else can commit to providing a permanent skate park as part of the pier development until we appoint a design team and they come up with a plan for the area.

“That's not to say there's nowhere else a skate park could go, but it would have to be in a good site with natural supervision – if it were to go somewhere out of the way that would put the safety of the young people who use it at risk.”