Renfrewshire is set to receive a retail and residential boost after councillors supported proposals for a major development at Braehead.

The Council's Planning and Property Policy Board approved the plans on Wednesday and will see 70 new jobs created, after an earlier submission had previously been rejected.

Decathlon has submitted plans for a sports and outdoor goods store as well as an outdoor sorts facility which includes two five-a-side pitches, car parking for up 263 vehicles and a potential residential development of up to 150 units at Glasgow Road, Old Govan Road and Rocep Drive.

Planning bosses said the new revised application addressed a number of development, traffic and regeneration concerns that have previously been raised.

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Councillor Terry Kelly, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Planning and Property Policy Board, said: "It's very encouraging to see such major development coming to Renfrewshire. There’s been a lot of hard work to get to this stage with the revised planning application.

"I believe that has proved the robustness and relevance of the planning process in Renfrewshire ensuring development is taken forward in a way which reflects key local priorities for regeneration.

"There's now a proposal which doesn't compromise the plans for expansion at Braehead and whose traffic growth has also been assessed in that wider context.

"It was an advantage to consider this particular proposal in the context of a finalised Renfrewshire Local Plan which councillors have also approved."

The proposed use of the site for retail and residential development is different to the land designation in the Local Plan, however planners concluded that there were no other suitable alternative locations and felt the development "would not unacceptably affect the vitality and viability of existing town centres."

(JP/MH)