Cardross cycle path saga could be set for new twist

Argyll and Bute Council has appointed a consultancy company to oversee the process of routing the path from Cardross to Dumbarton.

It will also investigate options to change the route of the path between Cardross and Colgrain, which has not yet been constructed.

A public consultation event is due to take place to put proposals on display to Cardross residents, who have been sent a letter giving details.

This has been requested by funding partners SUSTRANS, who wish to identify if the route is still the preferred one among residents, due to the length of time taken in planning the path.

The event, staged by WSP consultants, will take place in the Geilston Hall on Thursday, May 16, with plans on display from noon to 8pm.

The lengthy process involved in planning the cycle track was recently branded “an embarrassment” to the council by a long-serving member.

The letter sent to Cardross residents said: “WSP have been appointed by Argyll and Bute Council to undertake the feasibility/outline design for the planned cycleway to link Cardross and Dumbarton and undertake a confirmatory consultation on the route of the cycleway between Helensburgh and Cardross.

“This work is aimed at providing a dedicated high quality, cross boundary walking and cycling route linking Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton.

“As part of the feasibility and options development we are seeking the views of local residents on their preferred route for the cycleway.

“We have organised a public consultation event in Cardross to allow you to see more information on the potential options, speak to the design team and provide additional feedback on the options.”

The letter includes a map showing eight potential options for how to route the path between Cardross and Dumbarton.

There are also two options on how to link Helensburgh with Cardross. The path between those two areas is already built from Helensburgh as far as Moss Road.

Papers for the most recent ordinary meeting of the Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee, on Thursday, March 21, gave an update on the project.

The path still has a planned completion date of the later part of 2024, subject to compulsory purchases being completed.

A report for the meeting also said: “Following provision of the updated drawings and land acquisition offers to relevant landowners for Phase 1 (Cardross to Helensburgh), the council has been in active negotiations with landowners to seek to progress to a negotiated settlement to acquire the necessary land.

“To ensure the necessary time to progress land negotiations is available it is planned that the submission of a recommendation to this committee in relation to the need for a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for Phase 1 of the route (Cardross to Helensburgh) will be made on June 20.

“Should this Committee be minded to recommend the need for a CPO, the CPO will require to be submitted for approved by full council.”

The full council is due to meet on Thursday, June 27.

Councillor Richard Trail said that once the consultation had taken place, it was hoped that things could really get moving with the path.

He said: “Certainly the bit between Cardross and Helensburgh, because we are at an advanced stage of negotiating with the landowners to purchase the last remaining pieces for the route along the main road.

“That has taken a long time and I would hate to see us having to go back and restart negotiations on a new route. That could be another long drawn out process.

“I’ve had one person speak to me fairly briefly at a community council meeting as his property is one that might be affected by the path on the Dumbarton side.

“I do know that before the consultation was announced, one or two people from Cardross were asking about changing the route between Helensburgh and Cardross.”

At a meeting of the council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee in December, Councillor Ellen Morton blasted the delay in establishing the path.

She said: “The money for it was allocated by Sarah Boyack [Scotland’s former transport minister, who ceased to hold the role in 2007 and has not sat as an MSP since 2011]. We have now reached 18 years and still have not delivered the project.

“We need to get this project focused on. We need to get the senior management team to get fully engaged as opposed to leaving it to junior members of staff who don’t have the clout to drive it forward.”