A public consultation event is being held for a new pontoon development which could bring millions of pounds into Oban.
Argyll and Bute Council wants to install finger berths and pontoons for visiting boats at the town’s North Pier.
The pre-application consultation event will take place at the Corran Halls on Friday December 9 from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
A spokesman for the council said: “The new £1.5million transit berthing facility will be a huge boost not just to Oban but to the entire west coast marine tourism scene.
“The approval of the full business case by the council’s Policy and Resources Committee last week was a significant milestone, meaning the council has the evidence base to proceed with the major investment, knowing that it will bring millions into the area over the next few years.
“Another step is the pre-application consultation, which is a statutory requirement in order to gain a construction licence from Marine Scotland. In that sense it is similar to a planning application on land.
“This is one of a number of measures we will be taking to engage positively with the end users of the berthing facility because, at the end of the day, it’s their views which really matter. The high level design is agreed and what we are doing now is ensuring that what goes in the water will be as easy as possible for our various marine customers to use.
“Once we obtain the permissions from Marine Scotland construction can begin and we can look forward to the pontoons being open for business in summer 2017.”
The investment in Oban is part of the council’s Chord (Campbeltown Helensburgh Oban Rothesay Dunoon) fund, which is a project to rejuvenate the area’s waterfront towns.
