This week's Community Column is written by West of Scotland Conservative MSP, and Helensburgh resident, Maurice Corry.

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With the public consultation on the design of Helensburgh’s new swimming pool, leisure centre and waterfront redevelopment now drawn to a close and the information collected, it’s clear to see that the public aren’t in full support of the current proposals.

I visited the public consultation and spoke with numerous people about the proposals, so I’m not surprised by the outcome as it was what I was constantly being told.

It appeared to me the public were overall disappointed and saw it mainly as a ‘like-for-like’ replacement, with some minor modern touches added in. This was not the original plan for the project and it’s a shame the council hasn’t been more inventive and ambitions with its ideas for the new facilities.

There is very little for families and children in the current proposals, nor can local clubs host events due to a lack of spectator seating. These points are crucial for the council to listen to and address.

It is exceptionally short sighted to not include adequate and proper spectator seating, to provide the local swimming club with the ability to host galas, for the Navy to host events and so on. These don’t just raise important funding for local clubs – they encourage more people to engage in the sport, bring more people to the town and bring more people to spend money within the vast array of local businesses Helensburgh has to offer.

The council now needs to listen to the public and the local clubs, the majority of whom don’t agree with these plans, and address the issues.

On a happier note, it’s a joy to not be complaining about the Kilcreggan ferry any more, and I’m thrilled to see the new operators have now taken over the route. Things can always be improved, though, and pressure must still remain on Transport Scotland to take on future responsibility for the service.

We need to ensure the reliability of the ferry so commuters can be assured of getting home. This change in operator has been a wonderful step in the right direction.