Plans for the multi-million pound regeneration of five towns in Argyll and Bute, Scotland have taken a step forward after the local authority approved the blueprints for each of the schemes.

More than £30m has been earmarked by the council for the CHORD initiative, which incorporates a range of projects designed to transform the towns of Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban, Rothesay and Dunoon. Project Initiation Documents (PIDs), which aim to provide guidelines for the management of the all but one of the proposed schemes as part of the CHORD initiative, have been given the green light by Argyll and Bute Council's (ABC) executive committee.

Campbeltown's existing marina is to be redeveloped and improvements made to the town's heritage and conservation sites through a Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) as part of a £6.5m scheme, while £8.3m has been set aside for the redevelopment of Dunoon's waterfront. A £2.4m scheme in Rothersay will see the town centre's conservation area and pavilion undergo restoration work through a THI, and the West Bay Esplanade in Helensburgh will benefit from a £6.6m redevelopment.

However, the PID for a scheme in Oban Bay, which has been allocated £6.9m by the council and includes the creation of a new pontoon facility for yachts, is to be revised before being submitted to the CHORD Programme Management Board later this summer. ABC leader Dick Walsh said: "We appreciate how enthusiastic the local communities in these towns and their surrounding areas are about these regeneration projects. This decision demonstrates that we are taking big strides in terms of progressing the initiatives towards implementation.

"Although this week represents major progress, we will of course continue to scrutinise all plans at appropriate intervals to assess their progress."