Helensburgh needs to nurture and increase the number of its quality independent retailers
A vibrant Town Centre is at the very heart of a successful Helensburgh. Already the depth and quality of its independent retail sector is well known and is almost unique in the West of Scotland for a town of its size.
It is a great asset and one we are proud of. It gives us a firm foundation on which to develop the Town Centre as a magnet for residents, people from the surrounding areas and visitors alike.
INITIATIVES
- Identify the Prime Retail Area in Helensburgh, recognising existing retail concentration and giving some room for growth. The Retail Area needs to be protected to enable it to be retained for straight commercial use. The previous (1999) Local Plan boundaries should be retained. These include Clyde St and Princes St and the linking Streets between them from James St to Maitland St. Sinclair St as far as King St should also be included.
- As Helensburgh develops as a place where small shops flourish, bring into the commercial core and into active use areas which are currently derelict or which are not delivering their potential. These are the lanes adjacent to the station and those leading to Princes St from Hoods Yard and to West King St from the car park.
- Upgrade the Co-op Supermarket or build a new top quality food supermarket. The pier head site should not be used for this.
N.B. In the document, Initiatives that can be achieved fairly quickly are marked “-qw” (quickwin)
