Helensburgh campaigners have vowed to continue pushing on with their dream to bring the town's pier back into use.

The pier has been closed to all marine traffic for more than five years, and Argyll and Bute Council said last year they would make no efforts to restore it because of the costs involved and the likely revenue.

But Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) have been working on a pontoon option that would allow small vessels and river traffic to the waterfront.

As interest has grown in their bid to take on the neighbouring waterfront site in front of Helensburgh Leisure Centre, HCC said they wanted to update residents about their pier plans.

READ MORE: Community campaigners reveal ambitious bid for pontoon berthing at town's pier 

And they are bringing together the expertise of different acronyms so they are all on the same page.

The community council's Helensburgh Pier Extension Project subgroup has been renamed Helensburgh Pier Regeneration.

And the former Helensburgh Seafront Development Project, which has been winding down for three years, is now contributing to the renamed subgroup.

Helensburgh Advertiser:

The pier was closed to all marine traffic on safety grounds in October 2018 - though for some years before then, the only regular user of the facility had been the paddle steamer Waverley.

In November, experts told Argyll and Bute Council a pier berthing facility was not commercially viable.

But the community council and local business leaders said the consultants' conclusions did not take into account the wider community benefit of the pier being returned to active use, and insisted they would push ahead.

Peter Brown, acting convener of the community council, told the Advertiser: "In response to a recent upsurge of online interest about the pierhead and pier, Helensburgh Community Council is pleased to keep the community informed.

"Our Helensburgh Pier Regeneration (HPR) subgroup is working busily 'behind the scenes' on options which will make our pier viable for use once more.

Helensburgh Advertiser:

"The overall aim is to regenerate the historic pier and make it accessible to marine traffic again. We believe that the regeneration of our pier is crucial to Helensburgh’s appeal, and will provide a valuable community asset for the town and its visitors.

"The support and involvement of the community is crucial to this project, and we know the town has a strong interest and passion to see the pier revived for use.

"We welcome any feedback or suggestions from the public, and invite them to contact the subgroup via the HCC Facebook page.

"The potential options for regeneration are still under consideration as the membership of the HPR group has recently expanded.

Helensburgh Advertiser:

"We are grateful to the wide group of community members who have pooled their knowledge, technical expertise and local commercial experience from the previous seafront development project.

"The Helensburgh Pier Regeneration group, within the community council, looks forward to presenting a feasible and sustainable plan for the pier in the future, and will keep the community informed of any developments."

Argyll and Bute's Provost Maurice Corry, who is involved with the pier subgroup, told the Advertiser last year: "The general consensus is that Helensburgh and surrounding district would benefit financially by having the pier back in use, not in its former design and construction, but extending the pier into deeper water, thus allowing larger vessels to dock safely.

"Recreational and sporting use would be greatly enhanced, with several private companies and official operators looking into utilising the facility."