It’s time for us to take the lead.
The community is creating a manifesto for the future of Balloch, Haldane and Jamestown.
And you are invited to shape it!
This is our moment to come together and agree a shared future. Our Community Council has secured funding from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and West Dunbartonshire Council to produce what’s called a “Local Place Plan”.
But it won’t be their plan. It will be your plan. Rather than the community being at the receiving end of plans produced by others, we as a community will work out what we want our future to be. And we’ll create a plan of action to make it happen.
A series of community activities will take place during late 2025 and early 2026 to create the plan. The basic question we’ll be asking ourselves is: what is most important for the future of our community?
Once the plan is finished, it will be ‘registered’ by the National Park and the Council. The Community Council and community groups will then use it as a platform to lobby for what the community needs.
Read on to find out how you can shape your place.
OUR PLACE.
OUR FUTURE.
OUR BALLOCH & HALDANE.
10 years AGO
Back in 2014, the community produced Balloch and Haldane Community Action Plan.
The plan had four main themes:
Sport, recreation and local environment
Improve our local infrastructure
Young people, safety and the local economy
Develop the visitor experience
THE BACKSTORY
Under those four headings, the plan identified ten priority actions:
Improved range of recreational facilities
Improved quality of the local environment
Maintained and improved public transport links
Better roads paths and services
Better provision of activities for young people
Maintain police presence
Develop training and employment opportunities
Better promotion of the area and its activities
Renovation of key local landmarks
Increased range of tourist attractions & events
Now, a decade later, the question is - are those still the right things to focus on?
TODAY
Now in 2025, we have a new opportunity to make an up-to-date plan for the village.
Our Community Council has made it possible by securing funding from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and West Dunbartonshire Council.
New planning legislation means that communities can now prepare their own plans and expect them to be taken seriously. Find out more and see some examples on the Local Place Plans page.
During late 2025 and early 2026, there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to shape the Plan:
November-December: find out your ideas for Balloch & Haldane in lots of ways - community drop-ins, survey, youth activities, a business event
January-February: publish draft Plan for everyone to check, based on the issues and aspirations that emerged during November & December
March: update the Plan based on everyone’s feedback, before the Community Council submits it to the National Park and Council for ‘registration’
Scroll down to find out more.
GATHERING YOUR IDEAS
Come along to share your ideas, chat and find out more.
There’ll be lots of interesting material to help you think about the future of the community.
Drop in any time. There’ll be a cuppa and a warm welcome!
If you’re unable to make it to one of the events, check back here to share your ideas online between 28 November and 14 December. The downside is you’ll miss out on the stimulating chat at the events!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Friday 28th November 3pm-7pm
St Kessogs Hall G83 8LE
Saturday 29th November 3pm-7pm
Lennox Hall G83 8AZ
Young people are the future of the community. They deserve a voice in its future.
Our 2014 Community Action Plan said that young people are a big priority for the community as a whole. Is that still the case? What do they need now?
Between October and December, we’re organising activities with Haldane Youth Services, Balloch Primary School, St Kessogs Primary School, Our Lady and St Patricks High School and Vale of Leven Academy. That will give a fascinating picture of what our young people want from their community for the future.
Come along to the community events on 28-29 November to see their ideas. They’ll be published on this website later in the year.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Jobs, training, visitor attractions and things to do also emerged as a priority in the 2014 Community Action Plan. So helping businesses to create more jobs and opportunities seems a sensible thing to think about in the new plan.
With that in mind, there will be a business drop-in on Tuesday 2 December between 12pm and 2pm at the National Park HQ, Carrochan Road, G83 8EG.
Whether you’ve got 2 minutes or 2 hours, if you work or run a business or social enterprise locally, please pop in to say what you’d like to see in the plan.
BUSINESSES
All the ideas and suggestions gathered during November and December will be shared on this website in January for everyone to see.
We’d also like to hold another community event in January to share and discuss everyone’s ideas.
Based on all that discussion, we’ll put together a draft of the plan for everyone to check in February. If you’d like a flavour of what that might look like, check out what other communities have done here.
Keep an eye on this website for more details!
