Dunoon and Kirn Local Place Plan, D1

Wander safely through the historic Dunoon Cemetery to school and home.

Enjoy the Rose Garden, take a stroll past St Muns and over the bridge of Dunoon's original hydroponic hotel. If you are feeling steady on your feet, take a detour to explore the historic Milton Burn or return past the Argyll Street surgery.

Take a walk down Clyde street, enjoy the stunning views, pop to the shop, take time at the beach and then walk back up the hill.

With almost 100% shop occupancy rates and an interesting mix of specialist food and drink, charity shops and creative businesses - and featuring the historic facade of Dunoon Primary School - Hillfoot Street is a great place to visit and browse. However, ad-hoc parking arrangements, dangerous crossing points, bins blocking pavements and uneven pavement surfaces are all factors that conspire to prevent people walking along the street to shop. 

Dunoon’s Victorian high street, Argyll Street, is the main shopping street in Dunoon. It is located within Dunoon’s conservation area and is the place local people converge for seasonal celebrations, for shopping and it is the first place most visitors will wander along when arriving in the town.  

The Queens Hall is a key civic space and community facility set in a prominent and scenic location. The building has been adapted to accommodate a gym facility in the last few years, putting additional pressure on available space. The library, which was located on the first floor, along with study areas and children’s library, has recently been relocated to the lower floor, freeing up a larger space for commercial use, but reducing essential meeting and study space that was valued by the community, particularly young people and people with limited access to IT. 

This site, located behind Alexander Street and currently covered by trees, shrubs and some knotweed, is an area designated for housing development within Argyll and Bute Council's Local Development Plan. The site has recently been purchased by Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA), with a view to developing a mix of affordable and social housing. 

Park up at Glenmorag Car Park, enjoy a play and stroll along West Bay, browse the shops on Hillfoot Street, head down to Argyll Street and then walk back to the car.

West Bay is 1000 meters of walkable promenade along a natural shingle beach looking south onto the Firth of Clyde. West Bay hosts hotels, houses, cafes, a miniature golf course, the University of Highlands and Island’s Dunoon campus, a pavilion building with public toilets, green spaces and a very well used play park.  It is also located within Dunoon's Conservation area.

The Rose Garden was once a well looked after green space with a public toilet.  Today the roses are long gone, and the much-needed public toilet is closed and becoming derelict.  

Located at the back of Dunoon Burgh Hall, Victoria Park was once a green space featuring flower beds, benches and a stunning Victorian water fountain donated by Provost Doig in the late 19th century. 

Located at the top of Mcarther Street, Valrose Terrace is home to many families, but is also one of the most deprived areas of Dunoon. Some of the houses are privately owned, but a significant number of properties at Cowal Place are managed by Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA).  

With support from Dunoon Community Development Trust, the volunteer-led Grow Food Grow Dunoon project has transformed an underused green space and established a food growing site in the grounds of the council owned and run dementia care home at Struan Lodge.  

This large grassed area opposite Kirn Primary school and surrounded by housing, is also located in one of Dunoon’s areas of multiple deprivation. 

Kirn gardens is a welcome green space leading down to beautiful shingle beach. Historically the gardens contained a public toilet, and the beach hosted a local cafe (Reggies) that attracted visitors to the area for swimming and bathing. 

As yet, no detailed planning application has been submitted, but the ambitious scale of this project has the potential to impact positively on the area’s economy through job creation and increased visitor numbers. However, there are legitimate concerns about how the project could impact negatively on the quality of life for local people by exacerbating known challenges including: a shortage of affordable, good quality housing for families and workers, the predominance of insecure and seasonal employment, negative environmental impacts. Driving footfall to existing shopping streets and cultural venues in the town centre and Kirn is a key priority of this Local Place Plan. Careful consideration needs to be given to the proposed retail and catering offer within the Dunoon Project to ensure that it can co-exist for the benefit of the local economy, community and visitors. 

Dunoon Burgh Hall is a cultural venue and arts facility managed by a local trust and charity. The historic Grade B listed building located on Argyll Street reopened in 2017 following extensive refurbishment. The building includes a cafe, gallery, workshop area and main hall. These spaces combined provide a unique venue for creative, cultural and community events. The Burgh Hall has created opportunities for local creative practitioners, whilst raising the profile of the town through a programme of internationally acclaimed exhibitions and events. 

Dunoon Hospital provides an essential and accessible health care facility in the heart of the town. The building includes an Accident & Emergency department, Cowal Hospice and the local community health team. 

Dunoon has a brilliant selection of charity shops that contribute to the development of a more circular economy at a local level. However, a trip to Bogleha Recycling centre highlights the many missed opportunities for more items to be diverted from landfill and reused locally. There are some fantastic examples across Scotland of reuse centres co-located at amenity sites as a result of partnerships between local authorities and the third sector. These operations create green jobs and training opportunities alongside the provision of affordable goods for their community. The current amenities site at Bogleha’ does not have space to allow for expansion. 

Dunoon Stadium and the surrounding area, sports pitches and skate park occupy a large section of land in the heart of the town. This area is also overlooked by Dunoon Hospital, Kirn Primary school and one of Dunoon’s two housing  areas that scores highest on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Despite the pressing need for recreation space to support activities that improve the health and wellbeing of local people, particularly young people and adults with health challenges, Dunoon stadium is largely underused by the community. Although the stadium is a staffed facility, the way it is operated and managed means that the stadium remains closed to the public unless it has been booked by an organised group. The booking process is not straightforward and can seem challenging for community and school groups. 

Dunoon Foodbank is a small local charity providing food, meals and services, including pre-loved school uniform distribution, to some of Dunoon and Kirn’s most vulnerable people. The space is also being utilised for a youth club one night a week, a project established through Planet Youth that directly responds to local needs. 

Consider developing this site for high quality, energy efficient, affordable housing.

Managed by Argyll and Bute Council, Dunoon Cemetery sits on the edge of the town centre close to family housing and the town’s more industrial zone (Hamilton Street). The cemetery is culturally significant and includes war graves and the graves of some of Dunoon’s most significant characters. The peaceful location is also a valuable green space that is currently underutilised for recreation purposes.