Inverclyde Council's Planning Board has approved a multi-million pound plan to build 636 new homes.

The housing association River Clyde Homes has been allocated £23.5m of "top sliced" funding from the Scottish Government's Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) to support its Reprovisioning Programme and works on existing housing stock.

Plans were submitted to the Planning Board for:

• 8 dwelling houses: 20-26 East Crawford Street, Greenock
• 89 two storey dwellings: Gilmour Street, Fairrie Street and Sinclair Street, Greenock
• 43 dwelling houses: Former School Site, Grosvenor Road, 22024 Sinclair Street, 60-64 Carwood Street, Greenock
• 32 houses: Moray Road, Port Glasgow
• 64 dwelling houses: Oronsay Avenue, Port Glasgow
• Residential development at Woodhall/Broadfield and Parkhill Avenue, Port Glasgow
• 192 social rented accommodation.
• 208 for private sale

Chairman of the Planning Board Councillor David Wilson said: "This is great news for Inverclyde both in the short and the long term. Construction will significantly boost employment opportunities and of course the end results will lead to affordable housing for hundreds of people and families.


"I felt immensely proud last August as the Planning Board passed applications for five new schools in Inverclyde and building progress can be seen throughout our towns."

Inverclyde has been given the biggest slice per head of population of the £644m Affordable Housing Investment programme for local authorities by the Scottish Government.

In 2009/10 £34.5m has been awarded to progress projects by the area's Housing Associations.

Karen Neary, Chief Executive of River Clyde Homes said: "This is a significant landmark in River Clyde Homes’ short history. I would like to thank all those tenants and residents who have had a massive input to the design process.

"Not only is this the biggest social housing project in Inverclyde since the mid-1970s, it is will be one of the biggest developments in Scotland at this time."

The funding will contribute towards a variety of work including new build homes by Cloch Housing Association and Oak Tree Housing Association as well as work to bring existing stock up to standard.

Councillor Moran added: "This funding is more than we had expected to be announced and will have an extremely positive impact on the area, not only for the public sector. We anticipate private builders and tradesmen getting involved in the work and we are taking advice on building into contracts a requirement to take on local labour."

(GK/JM)