West Dunbartonshire Council has announced work is scheduled to begin on a development in Dumbarton Town Centre.

The £16.4m building project will begin this week as the council plans to relocate 500 staff currently based at Garshake to offices at the site of a former Dumbarton Academy building in Church Street.

Proposals include to retain the A-listed facade of the building and develop new offices towards its rear.

The annex behind the current facade and a section of the boundary wall will be demolished and the site cleared to make way to the new development.

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Councillor Patrick McGlinchey said: "It’s fantastic to see our plans to regenerate Dumbarton town centre beginning to take shape. This is the first step towards creating new Council offices in the town and restoring a landmark building."

Councillor David McBridge added: "Moving 500 council staff into the town centre is going to breathe life back into the town and provide a welcome boost to the economy and businesses."

The new office will cost approximately £16.4 million but save the Council £300,000 per year over the lifetime of the building compared to maintaining the current offices.

The move to Dumbarton will also provide a catalyst for further regeneration activities in Dumbarton town centre.

The car park will be closed from 15 June to allow work to commence, with the new building expected to open in Spring 2017.

Further works to prepare the site for development are scheduled to begin in late autumn.

(LM)