A think tank of experts has predicted that businesses and residents situated in the east of the town centre will explore moving westward as their part of the town continues to fall down.The road closure from Sinclair Street to Maitland Street has been in place for so long now that most people are familiar with the diversion in place. However, the latest scaffolding installation on the east side of Sinclair Street, between Princes Street and King Street, has given cause for residents and businesses alike to think about moving further west to escape the bits of town that are falling apart.
Alec McNee, the proprietor of Helensburgh Cycles, was among the first to bolt when he moved his busy bike shop from East Clyde Street to a new location on West Clyde Street. The think tank, Helensburgh Advisory on Derelict Structures (HeADS), has opined that Mr McNee was ahead of the game in that regard and believes that the best hope for the future of the town will be to just shift everything a block or two to the west.
“It might seem like an unusual prospect to move the town centre but, before Helensburgh Central was built, the central business district of the town was actually further west. People would get off the boats that came to the pier and then naturally head north into the town square, so that was the place to be for shops until the station shifted the footfall.” A HeADS spokesperson told the ‘Adviser.
“Unfortunately, the matter is a little more complicated than just getting everyone to move west from the areas that are falling down. As Colquhoun Street is now interrupted by the pedestrianised area in the square, it’s not like that could just replace Sinclair Street. We’re going to have another brainstorming session to work out how far along we’d need to move the town centre.”
We’ll bring you more on this story as it develops.
