Preparations are well underway for a £2million facelift for Oban town centre to take place in the new year.
George Street, the town’s main shopping front, and Station Square are to get a similar makeover enjoyed by Stafford Street this year, which was given smart new paving and a marble public seating area.
Argyll and Bute Council is spending the money as part of its Chord (Campbeltown Helensburgh Oban Rothesay and Dunoon) waterfronts project.
Stafford Street received an investment of £600,000 and more than £2million is to be injected in this next phase.
The council’s area committee for Oban Lorn and the Isles on Wednesday will hear about the plans for phase two, due to begin on January 4 2016.
In a report before the committee, Andrew Collins, regeneration project manager, writes: “The contractor will be aiming to complete the shopfront side of George Street and Station Square first, with the seaward side going ahead last.
“The work around shopfronts is being planned to minimise disruption, with small sections being completed quickly then handed back to the public, rather than working on large sections of street which would obviously take more time.
“The work will also start at the roadside of the footway and work in, meaning access is maintained at all times. Any work directly around shopfronts will be take place outside trading hours, again keeping the disruptive element of the work to an absolute minimum.”
Land Engineering, the company to carry out the work, will have a site office/ welfare facilities located at the Rockfield Centre, Stevenson Street, where people can drop in for updates on the project.
The firm will be on site for a week starting yesterday, doing some
investigation work and pre-planning.
The work was originally due to begin in October 2015, however it was deemed more sensible to start in the new year, avoiding disruption at the Royal National Mod and during the lead up to Christmas.
The design for Station Square includes a flexible event space, widened seaside footway, improved bus shelter, bespoke seating, planting, taxi bays and feature lighting columns incorporating a WIFI repeater station.
George Street and Queen’s Park Place will get bespoke seating areas, including planting and feature lighting columns with WIFI repeater station, an improved footway on the seafront, refurbished railings and replacement lighting along the sea wall.
The work is expected to by completed by the busy summer season.