Progress is continuing on a £2.8 million structural repair and refurbishment project, Argyll and Bute Council has announced.

Works to the buildings and structures of the Victorian-era wooden pier in Dunoon are now expected to be complete by the end of November.

The contractor for Phase 1A, engineering firm George Lesilie, has all but completed repairs to the pedestrian access route.

Work is now underway on an area of the pier head in front of and underneath the old waiting room building.

To help future-proof the decking repair work, a three-part paint system is being applied to the timbers to protect them from the elements and provide an anti-slip surface for pedestrians.

WH Kirkwood is carrying out the Phase 1B repair element of the project.

Due to the poor condition of the buildings, more work has had to be carried out than was originally forecast.

However, the council said this work is essential to guarantee the long-term viability of the structures and the cost is being met through the contingency element of the budget.

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The old waiting room building has been surrounded by scaffolding over the last few weeks while essential work has been carried out, including:

• The replacement of the vast majority of the shingles, cills and lower panels at the western end of the building.

• The replacement of 19 window frames and associated glazing, again at the western end.

• Repairs to the waiting room roof including replacing roof tiles; lead gulleys; repairs to the clock tower including a refurbishment of the clock faces and the installation of new control mechanisms and repairs to rotten rafters and cills.

• Redecoration of all external surfaces.

At the piers harbourmaster's office building, rot has been uncovered in the gables and soffits, all of which is being removed and repaired.

In addition, the cast iron gutters are being replaced, which were in such a deteriorated state that the initial proposal to refurbish them was not achievable.

A specialist contractor has been commissioned to make replacement gutters to the original designs using powdered coated aluminium, allowing the gutters to last longer and be more resistant to the elements.

Over the next few weeks roof repairs will be completed and the external surfaces of the building will be decorated to match those of the other pier buildings.

In addition, a local contractor has been appointed to design and build new gates at the public access on to the pier.

The pier restoration works are co-founded by the Scottish Government through its Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. £300,000 was awarded in 2014/2015 and a further £50,000 has been awarded for 2015/2016.

Council Leader Dick Walsh said: "Beyond this work, we are eager to lobby for further funding at national level to fulfil our long-term ambitions for both the pier and its buildings – bringing all the pier buildings back in to viable economic use and securing the pier head.

"We are fully committed to exploring any and all opportunities to preserve this iconic structure for future generations."

(LM/CD)