Plans to create almost 1,000 new jobs on a riverside site in Dalmuir have moved a step closer.

West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) has agreed to invest £2m in transforming the 47-acre former Carless oil storage facility on the north bank of the Clyde.

The site was bought by the Malin Group in 2017 and planning permission was granted in October 2019.

The Malin Group's plans include a large fabrication facility, consent for a deep-water jetty with a 1,100 metric tonne ship hoist - the largest of its kind in Scotland - and a remediation strategy required to develop the former oil storage site.

Councillor Iain McLaren, convener of WDC's infrastructure, regeneration and economic development committee, which approved the spend this week, said: "This investment provides the council with a significant opportunity to support the regeneration of a derelict and contaminated Carless site into a manufacturing facility with substantial job creation for West Dunbartonshire.

"I look forward to seeing the transformation of this derelict land, and I am sure the development will positively impact on Clydebank and West Dunbartonshire for many years to come."

Councillor Gail Casey (Labour, Clydebank Waterfront) said: "I’ve been calling for regeneration of the former Carless site for years and I’m absolutely delighted to see that we are heading in the right direction.

"This is a really ambitious plan for Clydebank which is designed to draw in over £80 million of investment, create hundreds of jobs during the construction phase and on completion of the development, we are expecting to have 1,000 sustainable marine technology jobs based in Dalmuir. What a fantastic outcome this would be for our town."

Her colleague, fellow Clydebank Waterfront Labour councillor Danny Lennie, added: "I don’t apologise for being ambitious for Clydebank.

"I want to see the investment, I want to see new jobs for the future and I want Clydebank to continue to regenerate and improve its derelict industrial sites.

"If that means we have to invest to help get things off the ground, as we did with the Queens Quay development, then I am happy to do that. Let’s invest in jobs for the future and make Clydebank better."