FURIOUS locals have hit out after the most revered place in Clydebank — and possibly the most significant site in the world of shipbuilding — was ripped up.

The renowned John Brown and Co slipway area, from which the QE2 and Lusitania were launched, has recently been excavated by builders laying foundations for the new Clydebank leisure centre.

The slipway had been marked out on Queens Quay by a cobbled path and fencing which ran from the West College Campus building to the Clyde, where parts of the original slipway remain.

West Dunbartonshire Council, which appointed BAM Construction to build the £17 million centre, says the cobbles will be reinstated when the leisure centre is completed. This will, the council says, ensure this historic area is highlighted for locals and visitors in the years to come.

Ena Williamson, a former West Dunbartonshire citizen of the year, was devastated when she saw what remained of the slipway site this week.

Ena from Kilbowie Road told the Post: “I can’t believe the destruction that has taken place on the waterfront.

“When I saw it my heart sank. I just think it has destroyed the whole place. It doesn’t even look the same.

“As someone whose father worked there, like so many others, I’m devastated.” Independent councillor Denis Agnew had raised grave concerns about the proximity of the new leisure centre to the slipway during a public meeting at which planning permission was granted for the centre, designed as a replacement to the town’s Play Drome.

Created over four floors, the new leisure centre will be narrow on the ground floor, but the second floor will lean out over the cobbled area.

Councillor Agnew said this cantilever design was already an infringement on an historic site.

Speaking to the Post on Tuesday, Councillor Agnew said: “This is an affront to the thousands of men and women who worked on these ships, both in the yards and at sea. They talk about respect. It is people [architects] that don’t live here that are making these decisions about our town. Here we have another example of corporate vandalism. They have so sense of it, no sense of our history or the place. It is outrageous.

“Clydebank grew out of this very slipway, that’s where it got its name from. It is so significant.

“This is the most historic site in the world in shipbuilding and it’s in danger of being wiped out.” A spokesman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “We’d like to reassure residents that the new Clydebank leisure centre is being constructed in line with the approved planning application. The ground floor of the new leisure centre will be set back from the river, and to achieve this a small amount of the slipway is temporarily being moved. Any work carried out at this historic slipway will be done in a respectful way and it will be fully re-instated during the course of the project.” A spokeswoman for BAM said: “BAM Construction is committed to following works detailed in the approved planning application. Discussions for this project have been ongoing for a number of years to ensure the Clydebank community receive a first-class leisure facility.

“Existing hard landscaping has been removed and this will be replaced when essential works have been carried out. However, this is not the original ‘slipway’ but landscaping laid around ten years ago above the original slipway position. The only original slipway section, which has been preserved, is visible from the quay wall. This will not be affected by our construction works.” The new Clydebank leisure centre is being delivered by West Dunbartonshire Council in partnership with hub West Scotland. It is due to open in 2017.