His family have been doing business in Inverclyde for the last 62 years but the managing director of a garden centre in Gourock says he would be forced to locate the firm elsewhere if he was starting again.

Drew Gallagher, of the Cardwell Garden Centre in Lunderston Bay, is concerned by Inverclyde’s population decline and the negative impact on his business, which he mainly blames on the poor road network in and out of the town.

He said: “We are very much an Inverclyde business. But if we were starting again it would not be in Inverclyde.

“I would be moving further up the coast towards Glasgow.”

Drew has backed calls from fellow businessman Gavin McDonagh for an M77 style bypass to encourage more industry into the town and encourage young people to remain.

Read more: Calls for bypass to combat traffic gridlock in Inverclyde

He has seen a 20 per cent drop in ‘footfall’ in the last year which he says is linked to the population decline and poor road links.

Drew added: “Gavin is spot on. More than 50 per cent of our business is from outwith Inverclyde.

“Trying to get in or out of Inverclyde whether it is from Ayrshire or from Renfrewshire is just a nightmare.

“We have men leaving every morning to go to Glasgow and they spend anything between 45 minutes and an hour getting through Gourock and Greenock.

“We need a bypass and to reduce the number of traffic lights and speed restrictions.”

Drew fears that the recent closure of Amazon’s operation in Gourock and resulting job losses was due in part to the state of the road network.

(Image: George Munro)

Drew added: “I believe that one of the reasons Amazon closed was the length of time it was taking to get lorries in and out.

“It was a distribution centre so they have got to have a good flow of traffic.

“There is no easy way to get out out of Inverclyde any more.

“The flow of traffic needs to be better managed.

“We are trying to attract new industry but we can’t get in and of the place.

“It takes longer in the morning to get through Greenock than it does to Glasgow.”

Drew continued: “We have had constant rolling roadworks on the A8 for the past 18 months.

“We now have the main artery from Inverkip to Largs being dug up.

“If you live in Gourock and work in Glasgow you are putting two hours on to your day.

“That is the difficulty with trying to attract new investment to Inverclyde. The whole traffic flow within the area is terrible and getting worse.

“If people can’t jump in their car and go and get something the next option is to order online.”

Read more: Why is Inverclyde seeing a steady decline in population?

Cardwell Garden Centre was founded in 1962 by Drew’s late father Eric.

He added: “I have been working here for 36 years.

“You used to be able to be in Glasgow in an hour easily.

“I could do the airport in 20-25 minutes. Now you would be an hour just to get to the airport during the day.

“It is bound to have an influence on people moving into the area - or remaining.”

(Image: George Munro)

Drew says the population decline has been noticeable over the years.

He added: “It affects every business in Inverclyde. As the population declines, the average age gets older and our customer base shrinks.

“We also need more affordable private housing to keep people here.”

Drew feels that Inverclyde Council is doing its best to attract people but more could be done by the Scottish Government to improve the transport links.

He added: “The ultimate responsibility lies at the Scottish Government’s door because they are responsible for the road network.

“The Norwegians can build bridges between islands.

“But we can’t get a bus or van through Greenock in a reasonable time.”

This article was produced as part of a series focusing on the issue of de-population in Inverclyde.