A CONSTRUCTION company which illegally dumped thousands of tonnes of waste could be allowed to work on Braidbar Quarry.

Advanced Construction Group (ACG) was given a final warning in 2012 by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) over its conduct.

The organisation had been caught using a site in Wishaw to dump rubbish. But, last week, East Renfrewshire Council agreed to enter into talks with the company to explore remediating the quarry. If an agreement can be reached, it could open the door to hundreds of new homes being built on the site.

Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “The remediation of the site remains a priority and options including housing and other uses will continue to be investigated.

“Unfortunately, until recently, no active developer interest has been shown on the site. ACG have approached, expressing an interest on working jointly with the council to remediate the site through the delivery of a residentially led, mixed-use development.

“I believe this is the right way forward for this council. We need to investigate to ensure that any remediation, if possible, can be carried out safely.”

But the move has been criticised by Conservative councillor Gordon Wallace, who claimed that up to 400 trucks will use the site if new houses are built there.

He also criticised what he claimed was a lack of public consultation.

Cllr Wallace added: “To hand the remediation process over to an organisation with a known disregard for environmental impact defies all logic.”

The ACG plan comes seven years after the council entered into a joint venture with McDonald Estates to release part of the site for housing.

McDonald Estates pulled out in 2011 and no more interest was shown by any developer until 2016, when ACG first signalled their intentions. Informal talks have been ongoing since then.

A spokesperson for Advance Construction Scotland said: “We are in very early stage discussions with East Renfrewshire Council regarding ground investigation works at Braidbar Quarry. Our technical expertise is unrivalled when it comes to complex remediation work.

"With over two decades of experience in the industry and considerable knowledge of this site, our highly skilled team are well placed to carry out this preliminary work.”