Plans submitted for £90m Clyde waterfront and Glasgow Airport regeneration projects

A planning application has been submitted to authorities in Renfrewshire, Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire for the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project, which aims to regenerate the Clyde Waterfront as an area supporting residential, industrial, business, retail and leisure opportunities.

The project, led by Renfrewshire Council as part of the £1.13 billion Glasgow City Region City Deal, includes construction of the only opening road bridge across the River Clyde and new roads and cycle routes to better link the communities of Renfrew with Yoker and Clydebank.

Plans for the £39.1m Glasgow Airport Investment Area project are also being submitted to Renfrewshire planning officials.

Construction of a new bridge over the White Cart, realignment of Abbotsinch Road, and new cycle routes form the project proposals to improve connections between the existing Westway, Inchinnan and Airport business parks.

It will also facilitate the creation of a world class business and commercial location in the heart of Renfrewshire, connected by air, sea and land.

Bob Grant, chief executive of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, said the City Deal projects would bring jobs and business benefits to the local area.

He said: “These projects offer tremendous benefits for local businesses and have the potential to transform how we do business in Renfrewshire.

“These major infrastructure investments will make it easier for employers to do business, easier for employees to get to and from their places of work and open up the potential for future investment.

“Around 1,400 jobs are expected during the construction period and a further 11,000 permanent jobs could be created through existing business expansion and new businesses being attracted to the area as a result of the City Deal infrastructure investment.”

Mr Grant added: “Improved connections will also benefit the public and local employers, with 59,000 jobs becoming more accessible to Renfrewshire residents.

“I am very excited at the potential of the Glasgow Airport Investment Area to bring highly-skilled jobs to the area. The signs are already there – the first minister recently announced that an £8.9m specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries will be established here in Renfrewshire.

“It has been encouraging to see the public are firmly behind these projects and I look forward to seeing the work get under way. These are key projects in the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which has the potential to unlock £3.3bn in private sector investment benefitting the whole region.”

If approved, work on both projects is expected to start on site in 2018 with construction completed in 2020.