This is a distraction from the real business of Helensburgh and it has a simple solution.

Remove the car park!

Helensburgh is a seaside town. Separate Helensburgh and the sea and you destroy the town.

Wander along West Clyde Street from Sinclair Street to Colquhoun Street, look out towards Greenock and you get the illusion that buses are parked half-way to Greenock.

I wasn't around when the Pier Car Park was built. My recollection is that it had something to do with the development at Coulport. In other words, MOD money used to paper over a small local problem of increased traffic through the middle of Helensburgh.

Any serious development of the site is going to require the level of the car park to be raised by 1.4 metres. If we are going to build sea defenses, we need to do it where there is an even chance of success.

The argument will be made that the pier car park is a very valuable site with excellent development potential. We could build a sea barrier from Great Cumbrae to the Mainland and Bute and really go for it.

In any case, the existing court case between Argyll and Bute Council and Luss Estates should be a three way affaire including the Crown Estate.

Let's remove the pier car park and get on with a proper development of the Helensburgh Town Centre including the pier.

A pier is an interesting bit of kit. A proper pier leads out into the water and lets the adventurer explore the relationship between land and sea. A look over the side brings you into contact with an unfamiliar world of salt water, seaweed, sand and marine life.

At the moment we have something that is almost a pier, almost a quay, almost a dock.

In fact, not much of anything.

Let's remove the pier car park and get back to basics.