GOVERNMENT officials were so concerned over toxic contamination at a former hospital site earmarked for housing that they demanded to know 'the scale to which we're involved'.

Emails between the government's More Homes division and developer Link Housing Ltd, uncovered by the Telegraph, reveal unease about the cost of making the 83-acre Ravenscraig plot safe for human habitation.

Redacted versions of the messages, released following a Freedom of Information request, show that the government sought 'reassurances' from Link regarding the dangerous levels of contaminants at the sprawling site.

Since the email exchange 18 months ago, the full extent of how poisoned the land is with toxic and cancer-causing chemicals is still unknown.

An official report, published after the flurry of emails between More Homes and Link, warns of 'multiple exceedances' and urges 'vigilance' in case 'additional sources of gross contamination' are found.

The document, compiled by civil engineering firm Fairhurst, states: "Without a full grid survey of the entire site it is impossible to know the full extent of the toxicity that will ultimately be present, or indeed the full impact on human health."

Despite this, the government has confirmed today it has offered Link a grant of more than £15.3 million to build affordable homes on the site.

We revealed last year that the land was bought by the developer for just £1 in a so-called back-to-back deal involving More Homes and former owner NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

An email sent by a government official to Link at 7.20am on October 12, 2017 — the month before the Fairhurst report was published — states: "We're at a gateway in the process, and I'd like the opportunity to reassure myself (and others) of the scale to which we're involved."

The message continues: "I'd like to put a figure on the costs and explore how they've been pulled together. I'm not questioning your figures, I'm reassuring myself."

More Homes sent the email in response to a message from Link which stated that 'the development costs and appraisal is very high level at this point in the absence of...a detailed site investigation report which we don't yet have'.

However, despite the existence of the Fairhurst report for the last 17 months, bosses at Link — which is affiliated with Greenock's Larkfield Housing Association — have admitted they don't know how much it will cost to make the contaminated ground safe.

A spokeswoman for the developer said: "Remediation works to the site have not begun.

"We are undertaking the final demolition works and these should be complete in a week.

"The post demolition site inspection is also due to complete shortly.

"We are not in a position to provide a separate cost for the remediation works, as this may still be subject to change."

This statement comes after councillors voted 5-4 last month to approve a controversial proposal by Link to build 198 homes on the site.

The decision was made despite Inverclyde Council's most senior planning officer, Stuart Jamieson, declaring: "We don't know what the levels of contamination are."

Planning board member Drew McKenzie had called at the meeting for a complete scientific report on the land prior to any final decision.

He stated: "We are being asked to approve an application for a piece of land that we don't know yet how contaminated it really is."

Mr Jamieson insisted that he was 'satisfied' that a raft of recommendations attached to the planning approval would be 'appropriate'.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Consideration was given to the cost and degree of grant funding that could be potentially required before the decision was made on whether the site could be developed for affordable housing.

"The price of dealing with any abnormal costs, including contamination, will be included within the total and not isolated for our consideration."

Following further questions from the Telegraph, the spokeswoman confirmed: "The Scottish Government has made an offer of grant totalling £15,382,458 for the construction of 149 affordable homes on this site.

"Link Housing Association has confirmed that the demolition works are almost complete, with the post demolition site investigations following shortly after."