Balloch Charrette – update from March steering group

Village square – Work is currently underway to implement the village square proposals with an anticipated completion date of the end of June.  The image below gives an impression of how the village square should look upon completion.

Station square – The station square proposals will be completed later as part of phase 2. This is so all the developments in this area complement each other. The Council have had early discussions with the architect from Iconic Leisure (West Riverside developer) and also met with Sustrans. The council are currently mapping out a process of indicative timescales for delivery.

Balloch Road West – Works underway as part of phase 1 and will be finished by the end of March. There has been some recent amendments made to the design to now include taxi rank provision

Parking – Improvements to parking at the Moss O’ Balloch has now been completed. This involves better utilisation of the existing space to increase the number of spaces. There has been positive feedback on the works which has resulted in increased level of parking provision available in the area.

Events – Using the opportunities presented by European Championships in 2018, the National Park took the lead on Balloch Festival in August last year. A steering group was set up with representatives from businesses, the community and local organisations and charities. The event was a success and attracted over 3,000 people throughout the day. Road closures were limited to when the parade was taking place and parking at the Moss o’ Balloch was retained. Feedback from businesses and attendees was very positive. The lessons learned from this event (and others) are now captured in an online toolkit. The ambition of the Charrette is for an events strategy for Balloch to be created and this event gives a good strong basis for this. Looking towards 2020 and the Year of Coasts & Waters, there are now opportunities for any strategy to capitalise on this relevant theme. Any events strategy for Balloch should be created and shaped by residents and businesses. The National Park Authority would be available to provide guidance and there will be further discussion over the coming months with the partners about how we move forward with events and a potential strategy.

Balloch Castle – West Dunbartonshire Council reported that the recommended option in the feasibility study that was undertaken was a multi-use activity centre. The council are waiting to learn more about the proposed development at West Riverside before developing the concept further.

If you have any questions about the current street improvement works please contact West Dunbartonshire Council’s Regeneration Team by email at regeneration@west-dunbarton.gov.uk.

If you have any questions about the LIVE in Balloch charrette and its delivery, you can email us at livepark@lochlomond-trossachs.org.