Balloch Charrette update – March 2018

Balloch Castle

Last year a feasibility study was commissioned by West Dunbartonshire Council to assess potential uses for Balloch Castle. The recommended use was for a multi-use activity centre. Before West Dunbartonshire Council progress these recommendations further they are waiting to learn more about the proposed West Riverside development. This is to ensure that any proposals and opportunities for facilities at Balloch Castle will complement what is planned to be developed at West Riverside.

West Riverside

The developer undertook a public consultation in November 2017 which saw approximately 500 people attend their exhibition events and 250 feedback forms were received. From the consultation events, parking and transport were identified as particularly important issues. The developers are currently undertaking a traffic impact assessment to consider these issues further. It is expected that a planning application for Planning Permission in Principle will be submitted at the end of April. Planning Permission in Principle is sought when the applicant wishes to obtain consent to the principle of a development before drawing up a detailed proposal.

Parking Strategy

Additional car parking is planned to be delivered at the Moss O’ Balloch. It is anticipated that the work will start in September this year. This will involve the better utilisation of the existing Moss O’Balloch space to increase the number of car parking spaces.

Signage Strategy

Residents and stakeholders in Balloch were recently asked to provide feedback on signage proposals as part of wider public realm improvements to the village.

Sustrans Scotland is working in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park to propose three types of signage throughout the village, these are:

• Gateways to create a sense of place and provide landmark entrances to either side of the village;
• Information signage to provide direction within the village; and
• Re-routing the National Cycle Network along Balloch Road to Balloch Country Park.

A fourth proposal is a piece of community artwork in the station area, which could be designed in collaboration with the local community and the National Park.

A drop-in event was held on Tuesday 20th March where the proposals could be viewed and there was an opportunity to provide feedback.

Station Square and Village Square

A consultation event was held in November and there have been a number of developments of the plans around the Village Square. Designers are currently working on plans to reduce concerns around parking from business owners. A final design has not yet been agreed, but it is hoped that works will start early next year.

The Station Square proposals will be completed later. This is so there is better alignment with the railway station improvements and the West Riverside development. It was considered best to delay implementing these works so that all the developments in this area complement each other.

Activity Strategy

The first ever European Championships will be held in Glasgow in 2018 and Balloch is hosting the Open Water Swimming competition at Loch Lomond during early August 2018. Using the opportunities presented by the European Championships, the National Park is leading on a Balloch Festival, which will take place on 11^th August. A steering group has been set up and funds have been secured for a community grant scheme, which allows local people to apply for funding to run events at the festival.

We will keep you posted with updates and consultations.

Please let us know any questions via livepark@lochlomond-trossachs.org or Facebook comments