COUNCILLORS will meet today to consider breathing new life into Gourock Highland Games on its 60th anniversary by moving it to Greenock – and making it free.
As revealed earlier by the Tele, concern has grown about poor attendances and weather-related ground problems at the traditional venue of Gourock Park.
Council officials believe the move would boost attendance and future development of the event.
They say Gourock Community Council and the new Gourock Regeneration Forum think the community would be keen to arrange fringe events around the weekend to celebrate the games and develop links with the town centre – and would welcome a move to Battery Park.
Now councillors at today’s policy and resources committee will consider a recommendation from officials that the the games should be held at Battery Park on May 8.
A review will then be held to decide what should happen in future.
Officials say the games should be free because it would cost £7,000 to install barriers to ensure crowd control and gate ticketing at Battery Park.
A report pointed out that Gourock is the first games and pipe band event of the Scottish season.
It said: “While the early date helps to raise the profile of the games and encourage more pipe bands to attend, it makes the event particularly susceptible to weather disruption.
“The location of Gourock Park, while the traditional home of the games, curtails future development, and weather difficulties have, in recent years, caused issues with the park. The games have also had very little link with local town centres, particularly in Gourock.
“A move to Battery Park will not curtail any weather issues in May, but offers more ‘hard standing’ on the site to allow vehicle access and would allow future development of the games on a larger space.
“In addition, the site at Battery Park allows an increase in visibility over the weekend and provides a showpiece location for Inverclyde.”
The cost of delivering the games at Battery Park is broadly similar, and would require no increase in expenditure. Income from gate receipts from previous games has fluctuated based on attendance.
Figures for the most recent event held in 2014 would mean a loss of potential income of £3,905.50 if the event were to made free, but the council say this could be absorbed within their event management budget.
The report added that encouraging more people from outside of Inverclyde into the area is a key priority for the re-population effort.
It said: “A successful games can help to encourage more visitors to the area, and marketing will aim to promote it as the first games of the Scottish Highland Games season to position the event on the Scottish events calendar.”
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