A LONG-AWAITED £5.25 million redevelopment of Gourock town centre has been delayed yet again and will not start until next month – at the earliest.

Major regeneration works, including a controversial one-way system through Kempock Street and the adjacent car park, were originally due to start in the spring but have now been pencilled in for 10 November.

The project is being funded by Inverclyde Council and carried out by regeneration firm Riverside Inverclyde (RI).

RI chiefs initially expected contractors on site in the spring but then set a revised date in the summer, before hinting that work would finally begin in October.

But the latest delay also pushes back the start of the local authority’s £600,000 project to repair the crumbling Kempock Street car park sea wall, which is to be carried out alongside the rest of the work.

The details have been outlined in a report by Aubrey Fawcett, RI interim chief executive and the council’s director of regeneration, which will be put to members of the local authority’s environment and regeneration committee on 30 October.

Mr Fawcett said: “Inverclyde Council legal services are currently in the process of concluding leases and acquisitions and have sought to sign licences with the third parties to enable the works to proceed in the meantime. The three remaining outstanding licences are due to be signed imminently.

“The sea wall works were tendered resulting in an overall cost of £600,000, which will be incorporated within the main contract.” When it begins, the redevelopment project is expected to take 40 weeks to complete and will also include a new walkway and cycle route along the waterfront between the outdoor pool and the town’s railway station, a new public space at Pierhead, a small boat launch facility and improved public spaces at each end of Kempock Street.

There will also be an additional 80 car parking spaces created.

But locals in the town centre remain up in arms at the current lack of bays available in the Kempock Street car park caused by the delay to the sea wall works.

A total of 30 spaces have been fenced off for nearly three months awaiting the start of the repairs.

Council bosses maintain that the loss has been well compensated by the creation of additional 47 temporary spaces in front of Gourock Railway Station.

But town councillors Ronnie Ahlfeld and Chris McEleny are pressing local authority chiefs to relax new parking regulations to allow motorists to park outwith designated bays, providing it is safe. Councillor Ahlfeld said: “I have received a significant number of complaints and concerns about the parking arrangements and regulations in the Kempock Street car park.

“As there is considerable disruption there currently and major works are due on an ongoing basis, I requested that this car park be removed from the recently introduced parking regulations.

“I am very hopeful that this will be the case. However, locals should be aware that the parking restrictions on Kempock Street itself will be enforced.” Mr McEleny also wants officials to push back the fences slightly to allow cars to park alongside them and create some additional temporary spaces until the sea wall repairs start.

He said: “I can understand the council and RI are working together on the sea wall repairs and the redevelopment but people in the area don’t have the facts and exact details about why the 30 spaces have been taken away and when the work will definitely begin.

“I will be asking about the possibility of moving the fences further back towards the sea wall to increase parking.”