Town Infrastructure - Housing development
Helensburgh is and should remain a residential town. It is important to retain the town’s scale and avoid urban sprawl. This does not mean that there should be no improvements, nor does it mean ‘preserving Helensburgh in aspic’. It does mean that its built heritage should be valued, protected and enhanced. Any developments should be of good design, should make suitable allowance for open spaces, should value its heritage and environment, and especially seek to improve the town centre. (See the Town Centre Strategy, Priorities and Initiatives above.)
INITIATIVES:
- Use brownfield sites as much as possible for new housing qw
- Whenever possible, build housing above single storey properties in the Town Centre
- Build more social housing in the Town Centre. In particular, homes designed to meet the needs of the elderly and disabled should be built near Town Centre amenities
- Avoid urban sprawl into the Green Belt or woodlands
- If the Academy is built on a new site, designate the current site for housing and include a sizeable % for affordable housing qw
- Identify other sites that may become available for future development e.g. the Esso Station in the east of the town, St Joseph’s or Hermitage Primary, 2 churches, Victoria Infirmary
- Designate a % for affordable housing on all other substantial developments
- Complete the improvement of tenement properties in the Town Centre
N.B. In the document, Initiatives that can be achieved fairly quickly are marked “-qw” (quickwin)
