West Bay Play Park and green space - Put the play back into West Bay. Fix, extend and value the play park, surrounding green spaces and the pavilion as key community assets for young people, families and visitors.

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. 

The pavilion next to the play park provides public toilets and storage space for a community-based organisation. A recent options appraisal of the building highlighted opportunities to extend the building’s use to include changing facilities and a reworking of the building could provide a commercial opportunity for a food and drink outlet.  

Critically, the seaside location of the play park opens opportunities for wildlife spotting, natural play and water sports for a range of ages and abilities. These opportunities have rarely been considered under the current approach to development. 

Local Place Plan 

• Masterplan the pavilion, play park and green spaces around the play area with the input of young people. 

• Prioritise upgrading the pavilion to include better toilets and changing facilities and using the space to enable enterprise and activities that improve the marine environment. 

Community Action Plan 

• Work with Dunoon Community Council to take forward upgrades to existing play park funded by the Scottish Government. 

• Argyll and Bute Council and community stakeholder to develop a funding strategy to support improvements to the play park and wider play provision across the area.