Keep Ganavan Green

Friends of Ganavan continues its campaign to ask Argyll and Bute council to remove the Potential Development Area PDA P4023 from the Local Plan 2 (LDP2) and protect the ‘green space’ surrounding the Ganavan beaches.

Ganavan means so many things to so many people across all age groups. Here, Marjie Thornton recounts a first memory of visiting Ganavan and her thoughts about potential development.

‘My earliest memory of Ganavan is being taken there as a five or six-year-old on a Sunday School picnic from Ballachullish. It must have left an indelible mark on me as sometime later when I had to move to Glasgow, I remember the day so clearly.

‘A few years back my husband Andy and I lived just two minutes from the beach and, in all weathers, we would walk there and on the surrounding hills by ourselves or with our family and friends enjoying the beauty and always wondering as to what might lie under our feet. The sound of incoming waves on rolling sand is one of life’s joys. Walking in the hills enjoying the peace and stunning scenery is also a joy. And, for us as a family, the shinty pitch on the green space behind the beach is incredibly important.

‘Shinty is our indigenous sport and we’ve coached, played and supported at many games over the years. Quite a few of the Oban shinty club members played at the highest level for Scotland – all learning their skills on Ganavan pitch.

‘David Attenborourgh has said nature has no value in the eyes of politicians until it is destroyed and once it is gone, it is lost forever… This is as true of Ganavan’s woods and precious green spaces as it is of the Amazon rainforest.

‘Our elected representatives must put a value on green spaces. Where do THEY walk their dogs, meet with friends, have picnics and admire the sunset? Ganavan?’