At a full meeting of council yesterday, councillors agreed a range of priorities intended to support communities and deliver success for the area as a whole.

To increase the availability of all types of housing, including affordable homes, the council said it will:

• Support the provision of over 1,000 affordable homes by 2027 (247 in 2022/23 plus at least 750 additional homes over the life of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan).
• Explore additional options to increase the availability of all tenures of housing - mid-market rents, shared equity, affordable by design and other developments - in the area.
• Consider the implementation of short-term lets control zones to open up more housing availability.
• Continue to support households to improve energy efficiency and tackle rising living costs through annual investment through and implementation of the Home Energy Efficiency Programme in Argyll and Bute.
• Develop the opportunity for the council to become a Rural Housing Body - where it would be more directly involved in the delivery of housing or land for housing.

The council said it will also build up and strengthen its communities as attractive, vibrant places to live, work and do business by creating area-based plans for all communities, reflecting investment opportunities and local service prioritisation; seeking ways of securing more community wealth building opportunities across Argyll and Bute and supporting communities to gain maximum benefit from developments in their area; and seeking to maximise scope for community involvement and participation, including exploring the role that community transfers can play.

On roads and pathways, connections to, from and within Argyll and Bute will be supported by:

• Reviewing the approach to road repair prioritisation to make the most effective use of resources in the context of budget pressures and to achieve the best possible balance in terms of strategic, operational and member input.
• Creating a plan, by 2025, for further active travel routes across Argyll and Bute and completing the Helensburgh-Dumbarton cycle path by 2027.
• Initiating plans for a 20mph speed limit by working in partnership, and in line with national legislation, on the rollout and delivery of a 20mph limit where that will work best for communities.
• Completing a review of parking and traffic management/enforcement to reshape arrangements that reflect community needs and ambitions.

In recognition of the importance of marine connections to and from our island and mainland communities, the council’s role in maintaining these links will include:

• Upgrading the council’s harbour infrastructure to ensure it is capable of receiving existing and planned new ferries (including at Craignure, Fionnphort/Ruahaich, Port Askaig, Dunoon, Kilcreggan and Campbeltown).
• Creating a new municipal harbour authority in Oban, ensuring that proposals are submitted to Scottish ministers as soon as possible following consideration by the Harbour Board in December 2022, and putting preparations in place to commence operations upon approval by ministers.
• Seeking funding for the procurement of new council-operated vessels including Islay/Jura, Luing and Easdale.
• Finalising the demand, economic impact and business case assessment for the Helensburgh Pier strategy in 2023.

Leader of the council, Councillor Robin Currie, explained: “We have set out strategic priorities which focus on people and places. These priorities are about getting the most from the resources we have, and delivering success for Argyll and Bute.

“To develop them, we considered the diverse needs of our remote, rural and island communities. We listened to what matters to our communities. And we assessed Argyll and Bute’s unique challenges and opportunities.

“Progressing these priorities will help ensure we are investing in the future, and are making our assets work for us right now and in the right ways.”

He added: “The council alone cannot deliver the progress we all want to see for Argyll and Bute. Working together – council, partner agencies, communities and anyone who influences life here – will be key, so our priorities recognise the importance of partnership action for the area’s future success.”

The priorities will be developed in line with Argyll and Bute’s Outcome Improvement Plan – the plan shared by the area’s community planning partners that include health, police, fire, council and other services.

The council’s chief executive will develop an operational plan for how the council will deliver the priorities.