THE site of the former Clydebank Health Centre on Kilbowie Road is to be bought by the council for more than £700,000 and turned into new homes. 

Members of the housing and communities committee agreed on the price of £707,400 for the building, which is currently owned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. 

In February, a new £21.7m Clydebank Health Centre opened down at the town's riverside Queen's Quay.

The purchase part of West Dunbartonshire Council's affordable housing supply programme which the local authority says has already delivered more than 1,000 new homes throughout the area. 

During the most recent committee meeting, plans to purchase the health centre were praised by councillors but some concerns were raised about the lack of progress to submit a planning application to develop Willox Park in Dumbarton as well as potentially obtain the sheltered housing already there. 

Labour councillor David McBride said: “I welcome the purchase of the former Clydebank Health Centre. It will be an excellent project for us to increase the housing stock in a much-needed area of Clydebank.

“I would like some more information on Willox Park development.

"We have spoken before at committee before about the current sheltered housing properties on Willox Park and expected a report to come back regarding its future options but that hasn’t arrived. 

“I am just looking for some assurance that it will be brought before the next committee as these are old properties, they have a vulnerable community in the sheltered housing and there are problems that need to be addressed.

“This report will decide whether we obtain these houses but we need to move forward and bring them up to a suitable standard for the elderly.”

The local authority is preparing to submit a formal application by the end of the year to develop the area and has already engaged with tenants and nearby owners to hear their thoughts and potential concerns. 

John Kerr, Housing Development and Homelessness manager, said: “It is our intention to bring back a report on these houses.

"We will bring options for demolitions and new builds. You have my word on that.”