HELENSBURGH’S outdoor museum is set for an £80,000 boost after funding was agreed to be allocated in principle.
A councillor called for more artworks to be secured for the Colquhoun Square museum after it was one of a number of projects agreed to receive nearly £500,000 of Scottish Government place-based investment funding.
Town centres across Argyll and Bute could also see up to £100,000 invested in CCTV as part of the plans if the funding is confirmed.
The discussion took place at a meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s policy and resources committee on Thursday, May 8.
Councillor Gary Mulvaney (Conservative, Helensburgh Central) said: “I certainly welcome the money for CCTV and it is good to see that we will work with Police Scotland.
“It will potentially help having modern systems, because I know that in Helensburgh there has been some representation that systems are pretty antiquated now.
“Regarding Helensburgh outdoor museum, I am not necessarily close to what is happening within that, but there was in the budget around £25,000 of capital money that was sitting there, as there was a lot to come forward.
“We have a number of plinths that are vacant. Are there a lot of artworks that will be commissioned. If we are setting money aside, we need to ensure it gets used.”
Jonathan Welch, the council’s rural growth deal programme manager, responded: “This is for an extended scheme. The money sitting there already in the budget will be used, and will go through the design panel and the area committees.
“In the extended scheme, we will look at ways of developing an outdoor museum, and to look at regeneration and artworks that are already there.”
Councillor Mulvaney then said: “I would be delighted to see more artworks on plinths. That is a really good outcome, because you have a sense of an outdoor museum as opposed to a bollard with something on it.
“My concern is that we go out and employ some more consultants to come in and tell us how to do it, and make it more expensive.
“I am not entirely sure whether that is the best way to take it forward. If we have things for people to see, we have the outcome we are trying to have. That will bring its own publicity, if we have, say, 40 plinths with a whole range of artworks on them.”
Mr Welch said: “We would like to minimise the spending on consultants. Others have been much closer to this project than myself, and I understand there is a design panel that includes member of the area committee.
“I will ask for you to be given an update.”
