MORE than £14 million is to be ploughed into developing Greenock’s Ocean Terminal in a bid to boost tourism, it was revealed today.

Inverclyde MP Iain McKenzie told the Telegraph that cash will be spent to attract more cruise liners by extending the quay and making use of derelict land.

The funding will come from the £1.1 billion ‘city deal’ announced recently by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The project will also see £4m going to economic, residential and leisure developments at the Inverkip power station site, Mr McKenzie said.

He added that he hoped some of it would be used to ease problems at the village’s accident blackspot junction with the A78.

Mr McKenzie said he is now planning to form a special task force to ensure Inverclyde gets as much benefit as possible from the funding pot.

The investment — made up of £500m each from both the UK and Scottish governments and an extra £130m from local authorities — will help pay for projects in Glasgow, plus others in areas like Inverclyde, over the next 20 years.

Mr McKenzie said: “This will provide us with the opportunity to genuinely invest and to change the economic opportunities for those who work and live in the region by creating new jobs, improving transport networks, boosting businesses and providing skills to young people and the long-term unemployed.

“I am now planning to pull together a task force in Inverclyde to look at how we can truly maximise opportunities to secure funding for existing projects, and how best we can secure future investment. We already have a number of projects which would benefit, but I want us to look at how we can maximise employment opportunities by thinking about the manufacturing, procurement and labour all of these projects will require.” He added: “I will work with anyone who shares my determination to see Inverclyde succeed.” The Tele has previously reported how some of the massive cash pot could also go towards creating a ‘renewables energy manufacturing hub’ at Inchgreen drydock.

The UK Government has claimed the investment could create 28,000 new jobs, and eventually generate around £1.75bn of economic growth every year.