A MUCH-LOVED Clydebank community centre and library is set to be saved from closure after a well-known local group stepped in to take over the lease.

The board at the Antonine Sports Centre in Duntocher will pick up the running of the Glenhead Community Centre and the public library within it.

The move comes after the Glenhead was one of seven community buildings earmarked for closure or handover to local groups as part of West Dunbartonshire Council’s budget bid to reduce a £21 million deficit in March.

Now, the Antonine will rent the building from the council and take it under their existing lease – which runs until 2056 – as well as look to refurbish the facility whilst creating a new community nursery, health café and indoor activity play centre.

The new agreement will go before the council’s IRED committee on November 1 and Provost Douglas McAllister – who has been involved with negotiating the welcome new agreement – insisted this was a good thing for the area amid a tough financial landscape.

Speaking exclusively to the Clydebank Post, he said: “I welcome this coming to the IRED committee.

“I see this as great news for Duntocher and for the community of Duntocher.

“This proposal will breathe new life into the Glenhead Community Centre.

“The centre is a very old building which is in need of significant investment and significant improvement and just like many of our community centres in recent times, it has very much fallen into reduced use.

“I could predict that the future was looking uncertain for the Glenhead Centre as the council looked to review community facilities across West Dunbartonshire.

“To pre-empt that, I was determined not to let that happen, I didn’t want to lose the Glenhead Centre, and therefore I entered into very early talks with Kevin Carlin and with the board of trustees at the Antonine.

“I am absolutely delighted, after quite extensive discussions and considerations, they are willing to enter into this lease agreement with West Dunbartonshire Council.”

The Antonine Sports Centre – which is a not-for-profit charity organisation which has been running since November 1980 – say the plan is to create 10 full-time jobs when the new community nursery is up and running and at full capacity.

They would be open Monday to Friday for children aged 0 to five.

The new health café would open seven days, providing catering to the nursery and the indoor activity play centre, and focus on providing healthy food options at low cost.

The indoor play centre would be a soft play-style environment with suitable equipment, a sensory room and space for birthday parties. Again, this would be open seven days a week and suitable for children up to 12 years.

Kevin Carlin, manager at the Antonine, explained he was excited at the prospect of partnering up with the council if they can see the agreement over the line.

He said: “Yes, the Antonine are extremely keen to help save another community centre from closure.

“We see this rental agreement as being a positive step in the right direction and we hope we can make that happen.”

Currently, the Glenhead incorporates a sports hall, meeting rooms and a community library facility.

Originally, the Antonine had indicated the library facility could not be accommodated.

But after further review, they have confirmed the refurbished facility can provide space to enable the retention of a library service within the centre.