This week's Community Column comes from Norman Muir, the Convenor of Helensburgh Community Council and he is encouraging everyone to help clean the beach.

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BEACH CLEANING: The community council will be re-starting our monthly beach cleans on the last Saturday of July and throughout the summer.

It requires constant effort to keep abreast of litter on the beach and our volunteers can only do so much. Therefore, we would encourage all members of the public to pick up litter and deposit it in the available refuse bins.

We would also appeal to dog walkers to pick up their dog mess on the beach as it happens. Remember, children play on the beach and the danger to public health is real.

NAVAL PRESENCE: The character of Helensburgh is changing, with the growing presence of our naval community members now resident in the town.

HCC represents all who live in the town and we need a naval presence to articulate the views and wishes of the naval community.

We are all non-political volunteers and have a single aim – to make the town as good as it can be. We have one vacancy at the moment and I or any other community councillor would be delighted to meet anyone from the naval community – serving personnel or a spouse – who would be interested in joining us. We can be contacted through our website (helensburghcommunitycouncil.co.uk).

WATERFRONT: The level of debate and discussion on this multi-million-pound project has been minimal and many issues remain unresolved.

The most important question is the proposed location of the leisure centre. This was moved from its original location, midway along the pierhead, from the Masterplan of 2012 to the extremity of the pierhead.

HCC research indicated that this location was liable to flooding and the effects of severe weather. None of this was rebutted by Argyll and Bute Council, nor were any steps taken to stress-test the decision to move. HCC will request a re-examination of the location question to confirm the decision beyond reasonable doubt.