HELENSBURGH and Lomond Chamber of Commerce has announced plans to leaflet businesses over the perceived risks of the proposed waterfront development.

Chamber members expressed particular concern this week at the potential loss of coach parking facilities at the waterfront, with coaches potentially having to park at Craigendoran instead.

At a meeting n Tuesday evening, members agreed that a leaflet would be designed and delivered to town centre businesses ahead of the crunch meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee on Thursday, June 21.

Stewart Noble, of Helensburgh Community Council, said at the meeting: “Once the planning application is lodged you are either in favour or against. You cannot suggest modifications after that.

“Now is the time to do that.”

Tony Dance said: “Helensburgh is not a tourist town but a day visitor town, and the only way to fulfil that is to ensure people have somewhere to park.

“We need to go and visit shops and businesses in the town, with a paper outlining the situation.”

His wife Vivien added: “One coach operator told us that he drops 12,000 people a year off at the seafront.

“If the coaches can’t park there, that will be 12,000 people a year going further up the A82 and going somewhere else. They would not come to Helensburgh.”