Public still have time to protect Ganavan

Argyll and Bute Council still has the chance to wipe Ganavan off its planning blueprint as a potential development area.

The latest Local Development Plan goes before the full council in June. At that meeting, the 36 elected members – eight of whom represent Oban and Lorn – could vote against Ganavan’s inclusion in the plan that has marked it out for potential change over the next 10 years.

But by doing that, the whole masterplan for Argyll and Bute could go back to square one for another consultation causing massive delays, Oban Community Council was told during a Zoom meeting on Monday.

The other option, explained councillor Kieron Green, was for Argyll and Bute to send the LDP2 as its ‘settled view’ along with people’s representations for the Scottish Government’s reporter to make the final call.

Councillor Roddy McCuish and other elected members at the meeting called on the people of Oban to tell them what way to vote in June.

He said: ‘At the end of the day it’s down to the 36 elected members whether the plan goes ahead in its totality or there are changes. They will probably receive a recommendation from officers to approve it but then it’s up to the councillors – eight of whom reside in Oban and Lorn.’

Councillor Green said: ‘When this comes to the council, we can change aspects of the LDP but there’s consequences. We would have to go out for consultation again. We could also just put this to the reporter as the settled view of the council but with all the imput from the public and say it’s up to you.’