Inverclyde Council's Planning Board has given the green light to plans for 192 new homes on the site of the former Scott Lithgow Kingston shipyard in Port Glasgow.

At a meeting this afternoon, the Board approved the plans by Kenmore Homes for 159 houses with 2-4 bedrooms, and 33 one or two bedroom flats.

The flats have a distinctive semi-circular plan, rising in a spiral from three storeys to five. The houses will be a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced properties in a variety of styles.

The application was granted with several conditions, including that the materials for external surfaces of the buildings, walls and fences are approved by the planning authority prior to use. Detailed landscaping proposals also require approval before the development commences.


Councillor David Wilson, Chair of the Planning Board, said the approval was fantastic news for an area that is starting to come back to life: "Port Glasgow is great community and good quality housing will attract more people to come and live here, which can only be a good thing. It says a lot for Port Glasgow that the developer is confident in the area, even when the housing situation is slowing down nationally - this is because the existing houses in the Kingston area are selling well.

"The plans approved today have a good mix of housing sizes that will hopefully attract many buyers to the area.

"It is also pleasing that the waterfront park will be bigger than originally planned, with an extra 5.3 hectares between the Clydeport petrol station and the Inchgreen Drydock. This is a significant addition to the coastal route and will further enhance the environment of the area."

(GK/JM)