Community leaders in Helensburgh have vowed to put officials and councillors on the spot over the future of the town's waterfront at a key meeting next week.

Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) issued a response after an Argyll and Bute Council report revealed that the number of bidders to take on the former Helensburgh Swimming Pool site for development had been whittled down from five to two.

HCC was one of the five who submitted proposals by the early December deadline, but when contacted earlier this week, acting convener Peter Brown said he did not know whether HCC had made it into the final two 'preferred bidders'.

However, the Argyll and Bute report says there is a risk that without new commercial development in Helensburgh, local shoppers will opt to travel to Dumbarton or Alexandria.

That warning led Mr Brown to say earlier this week that he suspected HCC's more community-focussed proposal had not made it to the final two.

In a post on social media, HCC said: "We will be asking questions at next week’s Helensburgh and Lomond Committee.

"This is a public meeting where the public can ask questions. The meeting will be held at the Helensburgh Civic Centre next Tuesday, March 12 at 9.30am."

The Argyll and Bute report has also thrown up questions about the town's skate park.

A condition of the planning permission attached to the new Helensburgh Leisure Centre was that a temporary skate park was required to be reinstated on the waterfront, after the previous - also temporary - facility was dismantled when the former Helensburgh Swimming Pool was demolished.

That temporary facility is currently under construction, and is expected to be in place by Easter.

But the new report says Argyll and Bute officials are taking forward investigations into a new permanent skate park not at the waterfront development site but at Kidston Park, more than a mile away along the seafront.

READ MORE: Helensburgh waterfront community bidders fear they've lost

HCC responded to the council report this week by hitting out at Argyll and Bute Council and accusing them of putting profits above the interests and desires of the community.

The council hit back and said: "Creating employment, supporting the town centre and providing community leisure opportunities have been core to the redevelopment of Helensburgh’s waterfront.

"The council is considering offers for the final phase of development adjoining East [sic] Clyde Street and five proposals have been submitted by a range of bidders.

"As part of this bidding process community engagement session and retail surveys have been undertaken.

"These will be considered at the Helensburgh and Lomond Committee on March 12.

"The next step after the committee is to invite preferred bidder/s for interview to outline their proposals in more detail and discuss next steps."