£2.5m dock revamp plans revealed

David Moroney • Published 31 Mar 2010 14:00

A £2.5 million facelift is set to continue the transformation of Greenock's waterfront.

Plans for the public realm landscape work have been lodged with Inverclyde Council by developers James Watt Dock LLP.

Work on the overall £180 million development is under way in a bid to get the project completed in time for the Tall Ships Race in Greenock next summer.

The latest proposals cover areas to the south and east of James Watt Dock and north of the Sugar Sheds in East Hamilton Street.

Developers have distinguished between the two key areas of the Sugar Sheds and James Watt Dock in the application.

James Watt Square is set to be the focal point of the new development.

Bill Nicol, chief executive of regeneration outfit Riverside Inverclyde, said: "James Watt Square will be one of the key spaces.

"It will be a large, multi-functional civic space, lying between the end of the docks and the new access road.

"There will be seating areas and eventually a small kiosk cafe and canopies."

James Watt Square will be separated from the busy access road by a double line of trees.

The square will lead into the area between the Sugar Sheds and the dock, which will be re-paved and edged using high-quality materials to make it an attractive area to complement the shops, offices and retail units of the redeveloped A-listed historic warehouse.

Another area to be landscaped will be the new pedestrian access to the site behind the Titan Crane, bringing people across the site to the riverside, where there will be a walkway.

Mr Nicol said it is expected James Watt Square will be completed within 12 months.

He said: "The Tall Ships Race will be coming here in summer 2011 and we want to have this completed for their arrival."

Inverclyde Council's convener of regeneration, councillor Jim Clocherty, said: "The James Watt Dock is the centrepiece of our regeneration plans for Inverclyde and it is important we get it right first time.

"A lot is already being done to improve the appearance and accessibility of our town centres and this project at James Watt Square will add significantly to the efforts being made to make Inverclyde an attractive place to visit as well as live in."

The developers are a partnership between Peel Holdings and regeneration outfit Riverside Inverclyde.

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 31 Mar 10

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