Down and up

I was in Dunoon this morning, where of course I had my Parliamentary office for a decade.

That didn't mean I was there every day, but what ever the frequency it is less now and thus I hadn't yet seen the fully cleared site of last year's fire .

This is the view from the carpark behind my old office and on the plus side the work has now  restored pedestrian access to Argyll St, but on the minus it has opened up a view which contains three empty shops and a boarded up flat.

Dunoon's main shopping street continued to have a good assortment of small shops right up until the start of the pandemic and indeed friends visiting often remarked on it.   Unfortunately that situation seems in retreat but hopefully the renewed emphasis on small town centres will help.

Yet whilst this is going down, other things in the town are going up as my extra photo shows.  .  The local veterinary practice , of which we have been customers for the 30 years we have been in Cowal, has moved from its old very cramped premises  to the converted library close to the town centre  and the transformation is dramatic.  Whilst still the MSP I gave a little help to the project so it was really good to see it up and running today , when I was in collecting something for Breagha.