PLANS for a £3 million ‘mini CHORD’ project for Kilcreggan are still alive and well – despite trouble in sourcing grant funding to back the scheme.

Murdo MacDonald, convener of Rosneath Peninsula West Community Development Trust, gave an update at a recent meeting of the Helensburgh and Lomond community planning group.

The proposals involve a six-stage process, with the first of those expected to cost around £200,000.

Grant funding is felt to be difficult, but a request to Argyll and Bute Council for funding support met with limited success.

Mr MacDonald told the meeting that requests to Argyll and Bute Council for funding support for the scheme – a miniature version of the CHORD urban regeneration work carried out in the area’s five main towns over the last decade – had met with limited success.

He said: “The development trust was set up in 2010 and developed a plan with the help of the community it serves.

“One of the main aims was to get Kilcreggan village redeveloped, because it had become severely dilapidated over time.

“If you ever go through it, there is a motorway barrier right down the middle of the village. Nobody knows how it got there, but it isn’t pretty.

“We have kept trying since 2010 and kept going to Argyll and Bute Council asking if they could help us to do this.

“We went out and raised the funding from Awards for All for our proposals to be drawn up. It is another serious bit of work to make Kilcreggan attractive again.

“I see the work that has taken place in Colquhoun Square and propose work like that. It would be like our mini CHORD project.

“To complete the full plan would cost about £3m. The first of six parts would cost about £200,000.

“Kilcreggan pier is one of the only Victorian piers left in Scotland, and it is a wonderful asset, but we need financial help for a heritage centre.

“Our local councillors are very much on board and advised that we need to talk to the community planning group to get them onside.

“It will take years, but we need your help.”

Samantha Somers, secretary to the council for the community planning group, responded: “It’s not a definite no – we want to help, but the support we can offer isn’t the financial support you are looking for.

“There is a real need being identified through these meetings to do something and that is something we can explore further.”

Mr MacDonald then said: “I understand the issue of timing and the important thing is to remain in the process in terms of funding.

“But I don’t think it’s something we can grant fund. It requires Argyll and Bute Council to buy into this and help us get through the community action plan.”

“The council staff I have spoken to, along with Lomond North councillors, have been very helpful.

“It is important to understand the different elements. The village has grown up bit by bit – but it is a mess.”

Ms Somers said: “What I am happy to do is speak to Stuart Watson from the traffic team and see if there is any advice he can give about traffic calming measures.

“I can also offer to take key points to the Community Planning Partnership management committee and we can ask them to keep Kilcreggan on the radar, if that would be useful.”

Design proposals, designed by ERZ, were originally unveiled in March.