At present, the council is in the process of commissioning a structural survey to work out what repairs need to go ahead. The charity and Council are also working to form a lease of the pier that the charity could use to get external funding for repairs required for the bridge to reopen safely. 

John Beveridge, trustee of the Helensburgh Pier Company, said: “Good progress is being made with obtaining the lease.

“We understand that both sides now agree the final terms of the lease and that it may be signed soon.” 

Beveridge added: “When we apply for grants to repair the pier, we need to be certain that the council will lift the closure notice once the repairs are carried out, and that is what is currently being discussed.”

The charity has been given a commitment from the paddle steamer Waverley that it will bring back its routine summer calls at the pier once the shutdown notice is lifted. 

Councillor Ross Moreland, chair of Argyll and Bute Council’s Harbour Board, said: “We welcome the opportunity to be working on a future for the pier, and appreciate its importance to the town. 

“The survey we are in the process of tendering will give us an up-to-date position on what repairs are necessary.”

Moreland added: “Organisations like Helensburgh Pier Company can access funding that councils cannot, which is why this type of partnership working is invaluable to our communities.”

The pier is termed by Historic Environment Scotland as a rare and surviving example of early 19th century piers.