Dunoon and Kirn Local Place Plan, D1

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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

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.  

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. 

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. 

According to Historic Scotland, Dunoon Pier is ‘the best surviving example of a timber ferry pier in Scotland.’  Owned by Argyll and Bute Council, this Grade A listed structure is a nationally important building. However, climate change and the ongoing costs of repairs mean this building is at risk.  

Dunoon Stadium and the surrounding land, 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. 

Enjoy the Rose Garden, take a stroll past St Munns 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 cut back via the Argyll Street surgery.

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

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

The current Ferry Terminal waiting room and public toilets are housed in temporary portacabin structures. This means that people arriving and departing Dunoon don’t have the best experience of this vital public transport connection. 

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. 

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 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. 

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).  

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 19C. 

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

The Play Park at West Bay is the only dedicated play park in Dunoon and Kirn. It was upgraded over a decade ago following a community fundraising campaign. It serves the local community all year round and is a key facility for visitors with young children. Split into two enclosed sections and surrounded by green space with low biodiversity or recreation value, the play park needs ongoing maintenance and development. Equipment needs upgraded to include a wider variety of accessible play options and to offer play opportunities for young people. 

Castle Hill and the surrounding green space is an historic landscape containing many monuments and architectural features that collectively tell the story of Dunoon from the building of the original Castle  right through to the American Years.