Gibraltar street revamp needs rethink

Plans for a £260,000 revamp of Gibraltar Street need to go back to the drawing board to avoid wasting money.

 

Argyll and Bute Council's revised plan for the main walkway between Oban town centre and big store Tesco came under fire at last week's meeting of Oban Community Council.

 

The meeting also heard it was bizarre that a pocket of land belonging to Tesco was even  included in the first plan when the land was still to be secured.

 

Café owner Sylvia Bossard told the community council she  received 'great support' from the community after The Oban Times ran a story about her plight following the council's renewed plan at a makeover for Gibraltar Street, without featuring the Tesco land that was in the first set of proposals.

 

She also said if it had not been for The Oban Times, no one would have known about a public display of reshaped plans in the street on November 22. The council launched a second consultation on designs, which were considerably different from those shown in the first consultation in June this year.

 

One of the main aims of the first set of designs was to improve the bottle-neck between Tesco car park and Gibraltar Street. That plan had also marked a seating area for Bossard customers, but that space was removed when the propsoals were redrafted for the second consultation.

 

The community council heard from one concerned member of the public at the meeting: 'What exactly are we (the council) trying to achieve here? What is the problem? If we start looking for a solution to a problem that does not exist, we are just going to encourage a waste of money.'

 

The consultation was due to end on November 23.

 

Since the initial consultation, redevelopment would now only be carried out within the council maintained boundary.

 

The change to the site has required more complex design solutions, which are considerably different to the original proposals that were initially presented, due to the difficulties of the site in regard to gradients and ensuring we meet accessibility standards.

 

Mrs Bossard said the council never once showed her the plans since June and that it was just 'a fait accompli’.

 

Both design options allocate just a couple of tables next to the café, and many more in a closed area across the winding walkway, where the public can eat any food they bring, essentially turning the area into one big picnic area.

 

She said it would not be safe for her staff to serve customers sitting in the picnic area, carrying hot teas and coffees across two walkways and up steps.

 

In the community council's own response to the consultation, it has said the withdrawal of Bossard's outdoor space is most unwelcome and if the Tesco end of the original proposal is now not included, 'fine tidy the area up,' said convenor Frank Robinson but leave the plan as it was and keep Bossard's outdoor seating area.