Council reveal Inverclyde housing plans for next five years

The council's environment and regeneration committee will be asked to formally approve the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2024-29 when they meet later this month.

A report for councillors provides an update on several projects, including a proposed development of 64 units for social rent in Greenock at the former health centre site.

A mixture of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bed houses and flats are to be built by Sanctuary Scotland on the cleared land on Duncan Street, two of which will be wheelchair accessible.

The report says it's anticipated that work on the development will begin in 2024/25, ahead of completion in 2026.

Visuals for the proposals for the health centre site (Image: Mast Architects)

In Port Glasgow, work on a four-storey block with 21 flats on land next to Gourock Ropeworks is expected to begin in the coming months.

The council says these homes will support its efforts to address ‘the growing demographic pressures of an ageing population’.

With four in 10 Inverclyde households expected to be single-person by 2029, the council is seeking to invest in projects which support independent living – particularly for senior citizens.

In his report, director of environment and regeneration Stuart Jamieson said: 'This requires serious consideration being paid to future housing provision, including specialist provision.

'By ensuring supply of wheelchair housing, providing specific dementia-friendly accommodation and increased use of technologies such as telehealth and telecare we are confident that we can address the housing and health needs of our increasing older population and support independent living.”

The report also provides an update on the proposed redevelopment of the eyesore Clune Park estate in Port Glasgow, for which a new £31million masterplan was unveiled in October last year.

Inverclyde Council has so far acquired 236 of the 430 flats on the estate and needs control of the rest before it can send in the bulldozers.

Clune Park (Image: Duncan Bryceland)

The local authority also says it intends to redevelop mixed tenure housing, with a view to retaining the younger population, as well as attracting new people to Inverclyde in a bid to tackle depopulation.

A further 19 affordable homes are also due to be built in Kilmacolm as part of the Quarry Drive development.

The Scottish Government approved plans for MacTaggart and Mickel to build 75 properties at the site in May 2022.

The homes will be a mixture of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom houses and they will be delivered in partnership with Link Group.

Inverclyde’s Local Development Plan states that 25 per cent of homes on greenfield housing sites in villages must be reserved for affordable housing.

This project is expected to commence in late 2024.