TEN YEARS AGO
Friday December 13 2013
Fresh plans to restore Inveraray Hall
Fresh momentum has gathered to restore Inveraray Community Hall as locals are asked to play their part in the project.
A newly-elected Inveraray Community Inveraray Council wants to form a committee of dedicated volunteers to take forward a project which will see the hall once again become a community hub.
The building has been derelict for many years, while a number of attempts to revive the building failed.
Iain Macaskill, convenor of the community said: ‘We want to see as many people as possible around the table with us to discuss the project.
‘There will have to be a survey done so we can see what work needs to be done to bring it back into use. We have asked historic buildings expert John Gleeson to help with the project.’
Iain said the time was right to restore the building as a number of other historic properties in Inveraray would be repaired next year under the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS).
He added: ‘The committee will have to look for finance and grant money available. There was feeling within the community that CARS funding was for the regeneration of residential accommodation and we do not want to divide the money.’
The community council will hold a meeting in January to form the community hall committee.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Friday December 13 2003
Mid Argyll movie premiere
A group of teenagers from Mid Argyll have made an excellent short film about their lives.
They have named it ‘By Us’. The youngsters have done a great job by displaying promising editing skills to produce a hard-hitting, yet artistic, piece.
In it the teenagers tell us what they do, where they go, what Lochgilphead means to them and what their hopes for the future are.
The film was previewed at the Mid Argyll Youth Project building in Lochgilphead.
Any groups or individuals interested in seeing the film should contact Eileen Wilson at the Argyll and Bute Council Community Education office in Lochgilphead.
FORTY YEARS AGO
Friday December 9 1989
Lochgilphead pottery boom
Highbank Pottery in Lochgilphead is showing that even in these straightened times business can be booming.
Over the last three months changes have been taking place within the factory resulting in a fifty per cent increase in output.
The improved efficiency can be attributed to investment and revised methods within the factory rather than an actual extension of floor space.
The company are housed in a Highlands and Islands Development Board building and find it quite adequate for their needs.
Four new members of staff have been taken on in the last three months bringing the total to thirteen and manager, Mr Peter Burrell, feels that they now have the right balance of staff to cope with the production.
The introduction of a new line of pottery looks set to continue the prolific output of Highbank, ‘Scottish Bluebell’ is a new pattern applied to a design of porcelain pieces already produced by them and it is being received with considerable interest by retailers.
Highbank supply mainly the gifts shops and the tourist trade nationally and internationally.
They deal principally from order to order with no really long standing arrangements. At present Mr Burrell is delighted to report that demand is outstripping supply.
The company have already supplied customers in Iceland, Greece, Holland, the United States and Canada.
Mr Burrell will be travelling with his sales director Wally Smith to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham early in the new year to attend the International Spring Fair where the Lochgilphead firm will have their stand beside the big names in the pottery world like Spode, Royal Worcester and Royal Doulton.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
Tuesday December 10 1963
Redevelopment of Ardrishaig – much decanting is necessary
Argyll County Council has ‘cleared the air’ in a statement just issued on the proposals made for Ardrishaig redevelopment.
This, the council state, is ‘in view of conflicting information circulating locally about the proposals’.
The statement runs: ‘The council’s proposals envisage the redevelopment of the Chalmers Street area, the Brae Road area on the south side and the site of the present prefab houses in Glenfyne Crescent. Sufficient properties have been acquired or are in course of acquisition to enable these proposals to be achieved at least to a substantial extent.
‘The council considered a step by step development, rebuilding on the sites of properties acquired, but it was obvious that this would be an extremely slow process.’
Very few of the properties are empty and it is not intended that the new buildings will necessarily be put up in the same situations as the existing buildings. Considerable decanting would be necessary before any work could be undertaken.
‘In these circumstances it was decided that a virgin site must be developed capable of accommodating (temporarily, if the tenants involved so desire), (a) all the tenants in the area to be developed on the west side of Chalmers Street, (b) all the tenants in the area to be developed on the south side, and (c) all the tenants of the existing prefab site.
‘The site selected adjoining Glenfyne Park, where a scheme for 38 new houses has been commenced, was not the county council’s choice but was offered to them after the site requested by the county council had been refused and after it was obvious that a compulsory purchase could not be sustained.
‘This contract will be completed in two years’ time and the contract for the redevelopment of the three areas will follow on. Between 50 and 60 houses can be built in these areas and sufficient houses will thereby be available to meet further decanting requirements, including the vacating of unfit houses on the east side of Chalmers Street, with a surplus of about 30 houses for general needs requirements.
‘It is intended that as and when parts of the east side of Chalmers Street are demolished, no rebuilding on that side will take place.’