Weed-infested Oban bay beach ‘dreadful’
The beach at Oban bay has been labelled a ‘dreadful sight’ due to the number of weeds growing there.
The issue was brought up at last week’s Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee meeting, where BID4Oban’s Andrew Spence said: ‘We have loads of visitors and we are not making a good first impression.’
However, Argyll and Bute Council responded by saying it does not interfere with plant life as this would infringe on biodiversity protocols.
The beach is regularly cleaned by Oban charity Hope Kitchen, which carries out weekly litter picks.
The Oban Times also received a message saying: ‘This is a dreadful sight – my first “view” coming off the North Pier. This is just awful and deserves highlighting.’
An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: ‘The beaches are cleaned regularly by council staff when resources permit, and we are also grateful to community groups for their help.
‘In some areas of the beaches, we don’t interfere with plant life as this would be contrary to biodiversity protocols and legislation.’
This wasn’t the only beach to be highlighted at the area committee.
Councillor for Oban North and Lorn Julie McKenzie said: ‘There are numerous issues with Ganavan at the moment.
‘For me, Ganavan should be the jewel in the crown for the area. I have had numerous reports from my constituents regarding the weeds, to loose dogs on the beach, dog fouling, the fact that parking metres were not working, and campervans are not allowed to park overnight. It’s an issue we have to look at as an area committee.
‘The swings are another important issue. They have been removed. Parents are concerned about that. They would like to see more facilities out there, rather than less.’
Councillor for Oban North and Lorn Kieron Green referenced that car parking revenue is above target in Oban, Lorn and the Isles.
This sparked a discussion, which led to the chairwoman, Councillor Elaine Robertson, asking if, as a committee, they should ask about surplus parking revenue being used for the good of the area.
Mr McCuish added: ‘If we identified a project that we could spend the money on, such as Ganavan, that would be a better idea. We could maybe look at retaining funding from the car parking for a year or two to upgrade Ganavan.’
A decision about how the surplus parking revenue is spent would have to go through a full council vote.
Speaking about Ganavan, a council spokesperson said: ‘We urge beach users to clean up after their dogs and to put all litter in bins or take it away with them.’