HELENSBURGH’S much-anticipated waterfront redevelopment is unlikely to be ready until the summer of 2021 – but the area’s business community has little faith that even this deadline will be met.

The 15-month delay to the showpiece project – including a brand new leisure centre, 25-metre swimming pool, new car parking and flood defences – was confirmed last week.

And the officials in charge of the Argyll and Bute Council project have been told to provide progress reports every three months to ensure the new timescale stays on track.

But the Helensburgh and Lomond Chamber of Commerce says it has “real cause for concern” over the delay.

A spokeswoman for the Chamber said: “There is an overwhelming sense of déjà vu with this announcement which gives real cause for concern for the business community of Helensburgh and Lomond.

“The first issue that springs immediately into focus is that Argyll and Bute Council has appointed itself as project manager for this vital project and historically the council has a pitiful track record when it comes to meeting project deadlines.

“The most recent project, the civic centre, overran and failed to open within the stated time and the CHORD project overran by 13 months.

“The predicted date for the opening of the new pool has already slipped 15 months and if ABC remains true to form then we will be lucky to see this project before 2022.

“Obviously one of our main concerns will be how the council manages the closure of the seafront car park and over what length of time, as this has the potential to have a devastating effect on visitor numbers and ease of parking for residents.”

The members of the Chamber have also voiced concern over the condition of the existing swimming pool and fitness suite, which will now have to last several years beyond its life expectancy.

Their spokeswoman added: “When the most recent refurbishment was carried out in 2010 the investment was made to secure the pool for seven years predicted life, that is until August 2017.

“So it is of considerable concern that it is now expected that the old pool will have to remain for an additional five years over that time and worrying indeed for all those who use the facility.“We look forward to discussing all of our legitimate commercial concerns with the council’s chief executive, Cleland Sneddon, when he upholds his commitment to meet as a matter of urgency with the Chamber.”

The report advising of the 15-month delay to the scheme was presented to members of the authority’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee on Tuesday.

The delay in the completion date is, according to the council, the result of “a thorough review” of the team which will deliver the project in an attempt to cut down on costs – and in particular on the use of external consultants.

Councillor Ellen Morton, chair of the area committee, said this week that she hoped there would be no more slippages in the project.

Cllr Morton told members: “We expect to be alerted to any further slippages. We don’t expect that to happen, but this is important to the town centre and the whole of Helensburgh and Lomond.

“However, we do have to bear in mind that it’s a very complex project.”

Speaking after Tuesday’s meeting Cllr Morton added: “It’s very disappointing that there’s been any slippage at all. It’s something we will be working very hard to minimise – and I would like to see the timescale brought forward.

“We can’t guarantee there won’t be any more delays, because it’s a very complex project and there are many unknown factors.

“This isn’t just about building a swimming pool. The most complicated aspect is the flood defence work, and until we get full information on that we just don’t know exactly how complex it will be.”

Tuesday’s meeting was told that transport survey work at the site has already begun, and that topographical and bathymetric surveys would take place soon and should take three or four days.

A council spokesman said: “To ensure continued best use of resources we carried out a thorough review of the team to deliver the project. “The new delivery model includes architectural, cost management, civil engineering and property development expertise from across a number of council services.

“We also took the opportunity to revise the governance structure and draw on these internal resources keeping the expenditure on external consultants to a minimum and safeguarding local jobs.

“Taking these factors into account, the revised date for the opening of the new swimming pool is likely to be July 2021.

“We will constantly review the programme and continually look for opportunities to improve on this date, including looking at new methods of modular construction for swimming pools, which provide improvements over traditional construction methods.”

Council leader Aileen Morton said: "Clearly this is a really important project for Helensburgh and Lomond and, like most people, I’d like to see it delivered as soon as possible.

"Having said that though, it’s even more important that it is the right facility that is delivered.

"The Area Committee have agreed to quarterly reports coming forward from now on and I’m looking forward to the design team being appointed later this summer and seeing them bring forward the kind of ambitious plans that local residents want for this site."

Helensburgh Central councillor Gary Mulvaney, the authority’s depute leader and policy lead for capital regeneration, said: “This hugely important Helensburgh and Lomond project continues to make progress and on Tuesday we heard that the key consultants for the flood defences, land and water topography, and traffic are now in place and doing their work. “At the end of summer, we should see the design team appointed and that will enable us to further engage with the community and key stakeholders to develop the detailed design.

“I know everyone is anxious to get on with things but this is a large project on a complex site.”