PLANS to clean up a former toxic oil site in Bowling have been approved by councillors.

Owners, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, applied to West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) to start work on the former Dunglass Oil Depot, and were given the go-ahead at a planning committee meeting last Wednesday (March 20).

Esso’s plans include remediating the ground, excavation work, the treatment and replacement of soils, the treatment of ground water, and the installation of a sheet pile wall.

Their application does not include any proposals for future use as they plan to sell the land to WDC. The site that has been unused since 1997 forms part of the council’s aspiration for a City Deal project and aims to provide major industrial and commercial development.

Read more: Esso volunteers to clean up former Exxon site at Bowling

Plans to create a road to provide an alternative route from the A82 have also been put in place.

The former Dunglass Oil Depot covers a combined area of around 36 hectares, and due to a wide variety of petroleum products being processed, stored and distributed in the 1960s, the site is subject to contamination.

Scottish Environmental Protection Agency specialists have been involved in the assessment and have made no objection.

At the meeting on Wednesday, Councillor Lawrence O’Neill raised concerns regarding asbestos being found on site.

The councillor asked if any asbestos is found, will it be removed appropriately.

He said: “I’m not trying to make an issue of it, but I will make an issue of it.”

The council’s contamination officer who attended several technical meetings, and reviewed and commented on several technical reports prior to and following the submission of the planning application, confirmed that all asbestos would be removed.

Read more: Council rubber-stamps £4.7m Exxon deal

Tim Greaves, project manager for Esso’s Bowling site, said after the meeting: “We are very pleased that WDC’s planning committee has approved our planning application to effectively remediate the former Bowling terminal site.

“This is an important step towards helping the redevelopment of the Bowling site for future beneficial use as part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal vision for regeneration. We look forward to continuing to work with the council on progressing its plans.”