A row about the best use for ground at Ardrishaig KGV Community Park has called for a community garden project put on hold.
The King George V Community Park consists of six acres, including a sports pitch, on land near Ardrishaig Primary School.
Currently the sports pitch is completely waterlogged and unplayable. And the land surrounding it has become overgrown.
But now it seems that two community groups are vying to find a new use for part of the ground.
The King George V Community Park Association proposes to develop the entire six acres of public ground for the benefit of the community.
Its proposals include re-establishing overgrown paths and the creation of a new path in partnership with MacKenzie Construction.
There are also plans for picnic benches throughout the park, drainage for the sports pitch, a children’s play area and a “pump track” for bicycles.
But Ardrishaig Community Garden committee has plans for plant tunnels and raised beds on part of the land.
Ardrishaig Community Council chairwoman Christine MacIntyre said they believed there was room for both projects.
The garden committee has been granted a licence from Argyll and Bute Council to begin groundworks on its project.
However, the association is calling on the council, as custodians of the land, to request a “pause” on the garden project to allow public opinion to be canvassed.
The association believes the ground intended for the community garden would be better used for a children’s play area, bicycle track or multiple use games area.
Blair Johnston, secretary of KGV community park association, said there had been no public consultation about the best use for the space.
Mr Johnston said: “We want to see all of the plans presented to the public. Let’s put them on the table for the public to decide. It’s a community park.
“A public event should be held where we can show the community what is proposed, and they can say what they want.
“We want it to be balanced and fair. The community can decide what they want in their public park.
“If it turns out the community would prefer a community garden then so-be-it, we will not stop their plans if that’s what the community wants.”
He said the association recognised a community garden had an important place in education, “group gathering and dietary health and a host of other positive reasons for our community”.
“The association would propose that the garden would be better placed over the boundary wall towards the school grounds area. Then we could have both projects.”
He added: “We objected to the community garden’s placement within the six acres of protected land.
“Our committee feels the same area of land can be put to use for leisure facilities that will benefit the community more, serve individuals of the community more, have a reach to more of the community and surrounding communities, and have longevity in its lifetime in serving the development of children from toddler, junior, teen, and adults.
“It is unfortunate the community garden and our committee both have plans for a space of land that has remained underutilised for nearly 100 years.
“Over a year ago we did have dialogue with the community garden and wanted to work in partnership with them. We were told very bluntly that the community garden ‘wanted nothing to do with the rest of the park’.”
The association is in discussion with Argyll and Bute Council about a £33,000 play park grant. The hope is that, if the community decides to back the children’s play park, the grant money could be ring fenced.
This means it could be put towards bigger funding opportunities to deliver an award-winning play park as has been done in Tarbert.
Mr Johnston added: “This is, of course, with a reversal of the community garden licence that has been granted without significant community engagement – as we see it.
“We are also mindful of a deadline to spend the government grant if the decision is to go ahead with providing a play park by mid-2016, where we must also fundraise the cost of the entire project, but we believe this is possible.”
A spokesman for the Ardrishaig Community Garden Project was contacted for comment but did not respond before the Advertiser went to press.
Argyll and Bute Council has also been contacted.