Comment posted Decoding Helensburgh’s Colquhoun Square: Comet I or Comet II? by PBP.
Excellent analysis. And who is in charge of the CHORD destruction? Yes it’s Mars Mulvaney. Still, at least it distracts from the parking chaos his garage business causes in Lower John Street.
Time for a rethink on Colquhoun Square, and a new think on Lower John Street.
Recent comments by PBP
- Proposed posts for proposed new council coalition administration
Heaven help us — Mars Mulvaney is back. Just typical he did not keep his fellow Tories in the loop.Surely his first job, especially in the light of the utter chaos in the town centre because of the start of the CHORD project works, is to clear up the parking problems in John Street between West Clyde Street and West Princes Street.
Yes, outside the garage where he works.
- One real issue and some strange arguments against Cove Community Wind Farm
Tripe indeed. What makes you think Rosneath, the Gareloch, Cove and Kilcreggan are industrialised landscapes? They all fall into the scenic landscapes and seascapes that you and we all want to protect.We fought off oil rig construction at Portkil. This would be even more obtrusive to far more people and areas, and all for economic benefits which generally are heavily weighted in favour of the commercial interests involved in construction and running of windfarms.
And of course a certain Mr Salmond likes wind farms.
- BID4OBAN to target empty shops
Helensburgh has the same problem, and already this month three more shops have announced closure — all blaming the Council’s business rates.But to my mind the problem is parking. We will not the footfall until Council car parks are free, as in Dumbarton and, I believe, a certain Lochgilphead.
- PS Comet Bicentenary for Helensburgh and Port Glasgow
The link to the Comet website still does not work. - Council suspends Helensburgh CHORD Colquhoun Square redesign
Great start for the new administration and James Robb in particular. The previous proposal for Colquhoun Square was horrendous and would have made the place look like a deserted runway for much of the time. It was also a recipe for traffic and transport chaos.Good luck with the informal consultation. What is needed is a smartening up of what currently exists, most especially the awful and highly dangerous roads and pavements. Do keep the Comet lamps, but some of them need refurbished.
When you have finished all that, make daytime enforcement of the parking regulations in lower John Street a priority.
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Uff, those single storey shops you don’t like? They’re the original buildings… otherwise a spot-on assessment.
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Thank you for this knowledgeable update.
Are they older than the rest or is Princes Street entirely of a piece?
They do look pretty awful.
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And one of them is the Helensburgh Rolls Royce office
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One of us found this to be a highly security conscious establishment. He had wandered in out of curiosity and was immediately told he had no ‘authority’ to be there. Is it a defence related RR outfit?
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MI6?
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I’m not that knowledgeable! I think the town centre was originally these one storey buildings, followed by tenaments at irregular intervals (and of course some newer buildings as well). Possibly Helensburgh Heritage Trust might know more than me…
[EDIT: aieee, Techroom really has to sort out that threading, my comments keep appearing where I'm not expecting them!
I don't disagree that the town centre buildings look terrible, by the way. That's one of my big problems with CHORD as it stands... fancy-pants new road and pavement surfaces with no provision for building renovations...]
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Excellent analysis. And who is in charge of the CHORD destruction? Yes it’s Mars Mulvaney. Still, at least it distracts from the parking chaos his garage business causes in Lower John Street.
Time for a rethink on Colquhoun Square, and a new think on Lower John Street.
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In the case of Glasgow we are encouraged to look up to enjoy the city centre architecture. In Helensburgh town centre it is sadly the reverse. Although there is the odd building of architectural merit one’s view is too often assaulted by a hotch potch of awfulness.
While it would be too much to expect the buildings to be replaced the erection of glass covered Victorian style arcades along the pavements and the planting of some trees would replace the visual assault with a more pleasantly dry and greener environment in which to window shop and provide the opportunity for hanging baskets and the cafe society.
It’s just a pity a supermarket developer on part of the Pierhead site in line with Gareth Hoskin’s proposals was not secured making it a condition of the development that the developer would have provided the arcades and given the town centre a semblance of coherence
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Now that would have been a brilliant outcome for Helensburgh – the Gareth Hoskins design on the pier head, preferably with Waitrose installed – and the developer contributing to the redress (in every sense) of Colquhoun Square.
And, infuriatingly, it might have been.
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This is a better assessment than the one which the Council paid fancy money for – let’s hope we get a second bite at the cherry come May 3rd…..
Meantime we could remove the pot holes, pedestrianise and pave the four corners of the square, resurface Colquhoun Street and put most of of the money in the bank until we decide what’s to be done with the Pier head and sea defences.
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