A NEW £2 million Greenock community hub is finally set to open after being hampered by delays.

The Broomhill horticultural centre is due to be up and running by the end of the month.

It will be the new headquarters for In-Work Enterprises — the trading arm of Inverclyde Association for Mental Health (IAMH).

Construction on the Mearns Street facility began a year ago and it was expected to open in June.

But IAMH bosses say there have been some minor setbacks, particularly the wetter than normal weather.

Margaret Tait, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It was supposed to be open sooner but there’s been various issues with it, nothing major.

“We’ve not exactly had a great summer either.”

The building has been handed over to IAMH with staff and volunteers now busy kitting it out with furniture, fixtures and fittings.

The development is part of the ongoing regeneration of the Broomhill area and features horticultural facilities, a community hall, training and meeting rooms, coffee shop and office space. Ms Tait says it will be worth the wait when it opens in the coming weeks.

She said: “I’m up visiting often and it’s an impressive building — it’s unique.

“It’s themed around a walled garden. The building is to complement the garden.

The complex has been built with financial support from the Big Lottery Fund, Inverclyde Council and the Scottish Government and has been almost a decade in the making.

A second phase is also planned to expand the development with the addition of outdoor space for planting and greenhouses on the adjacent old red blaes pitch on Nile Street.