Calls have been made for West Dunbartonshire Council to creating a safe, sectioned off, outdoor swimming area in Loch Lomond.
Conservative councillor Sally Page wrote the the local authority’s chief executive Joyce White following the tragic death of Ava Gray in the Leven last year, demanding a water safety policy and urging the council to look at the potential of creating a lido on Loch Lomond.
However the plans hit a buffer - with the council still not having a water safety policy in place, and plans for a lido looking unlikely to get off the ground.
Councillor Page told the Lennox: “Last year, after Ava had drowned in the river, I asked the chief executive of the council why we didn’t have a water safety policy and I also suggested that we make a lido, a cordoned off area in the loch where people could enjoy the water safely.
“I am going to revisit that and the water safety policy.
“Regarding the lido, I was given reasons why we can’t do it but no reasons of how we might be able to do it which was disappointing.
“I will also be pushing for the council to have a water safety policy which I had asked for last year.
“I know councils such as Perth and Kinross have these in place.
“You can’t control people’s lives but we need to be seen to be doing everything that we can think of to make things safer.”
Asked about the idea of a lido on Loch Lomond Ava’s aunt, Jamie Gillies, said: “I think a designated swimming area is an amazing idea as it would allow people and particularly families to enjoy the water without getting into trouble.”
However any such plans look unlikely to progress, with a West Dunbartonshire Council spokesperson saying: “West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust continues to work with the Council and partners to make residents and visitors aware of the dangers of swimming in open water, as well as offering free swimming lessons to primary school pupils in our area.
“The position on developing part of the loch into a lido has not changed and would still require significant investigation and resource from the council and their partners.”
The Lennox understands that a lengthy planning process, a lack of suitably qualified lifeguard staff and the impact on local businesses based where the 2018 European Championship open water swimming was held near Loch Lomond Shores make a development unlikely.
Some changes have been made however, with the Leven Cruising Club set to install CCTV focused on their pontoons to deter people from jumping into the river, and the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat set to move to Balloch from its current base in Luss.
Simon Jones, director of environment and visitor services at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “We are pleased to support a temporary relocation of the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat to the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway in Balloch.
“This is a trial to assist them with response time to incidents on the loch and something we fully support.”
