PRESSURE is mounting on the owners of a patch of woodland in the west end of Helensburgh after a community group revealed plans to transform the site.

The Helensburgh Community Woodland Group (HCWG) has unveiled its plans for the land in Cumberland Avenue – even though the site's owners say the land is not for sale.

Last year the Scottish Government approved the HCWG's application to register a community interest in the former woodland as a first step towards a community buy-out.

Plans have now been drawn up by HCWG's environmental consultant, Iona Hyde, which will transform the area "into a real environmental asset for everyone's benefit."

Argyll and Bute Council leader and Helensburgh councillor Aileen Morton welcomed the proposed plans and told the Advertiser she believes the site would be best placed in the hands of the community

She said: "The site at Cumberland Avenue has been a matter of concern to local residents for years now and it’s great to see the community create proposals to bring the site back into use and ensure public access to it.

"There is obviously still some way to go but I think that this site would be best placed in the hands of the community to ensure it is protected for future generations."

An open meeting was held in May of this year and the plans were drawn up to reflect the preferences of those who attended.

David Adams, HCWG's convener, said: “The launch of these detailed plans, which have been drawn up in close consultation with the local community, represents a major step forward in our campaign to transform the land at Cumberland Avenue.

"They offer a new dawn for the land after years of neglect and controversy. We are confident that if we can acquire the land, we will be able to secure the necessary funding to implement what will be a significant project for Helensburgh.”

The plans would reinstate and maintain broadleaved woodland at varying densities throughout most of the site; reinstate public access through the site, particularly the link path from Cumberland Avenue to West King Street; create a circular all-abilities path; create and maintain a managed open meadow area; enhance biodiversity by managing the developing woodland to provide a habitat for associated species; encourage colonisation by native pollinators and other invertebrates by creating and maintaining a rich herb layer;ensuring the site remains free of all invasive non-native species; manage site boundaries to ensure on-going security and privacy of neighbouring properties; encouraging responsible use of the site by dog-owners and encouraging active, on-going community involvement in development and management of the site.

Helensburgh Community Council convener Norman Muir said: "The community council supports the aims and ambitions of all the 'Green' groups in the town. Any development which enhances the appearance and ambience of Helensburgh is to be applauded.

"The Community Woodlands Group have been battling this issue for a long time and they are well-versed in the application of the Community Empowerment Act which permits a community group to register an interest in land and then buy it if the conditions are favourable."

When the group's applications – giving them the right of first refusal in the event of the land being put up for sale – were approved by the Scottish Government towards the end of 2016, Thomas Paterson, the joint owner of the site, told the Advertiser the land was “not for sale, now or in the near future”.

And as it stands Mr Paterson and his co-owner, Margery Osborne, still do not intend to sell.

Following the publication of the HCWG plans, said: "For us the situation hasn't changed and as far as myself and Margery are concerned the land isn't for sale."

David Adams explained that the next step in the process was to hopefully meet with the landowners in the new year when they hoped to have a "positive negotiation."