A HOUSEBUILDER is having one last go at extending an Inverclyde housing estate with up to 25 new properties.

Briar Homes is determined to develop a vacant piece of land within the popular Kingston Dock development even though their plans were rejected by Inverclyde Council officials in June.

The housebuilder has now appealed the decision and councillors on the local review body will have the final say at a meeting on Wednesday.

The initial planning application was submitted in September last year and is for permission 'in principle' for a residential development on land off Lithgow Way, on the Port Glasgow side of Kingston Dock.

According to documents lodged by the housebuilder, the plot could accommodate up to 25 properties, although the site is earmarked for 17 new homes in the council's local plan.

Seven public objections have been lodged.

In an appeal letter, planning consultant Tom McInally, representing Briar, said: "The proposed residential development site covers a vacant area of scrub land, development of which would represent the final stage of the phased redevelopment of the waterfront, enhancing the already completed residential units on adjacent sites of the wider Kingston Dock site."

Council officials had rejected the application under delegated powers, saying it is against policy and that the plot should remain a designated open space for the benefit of the community.

They were also against the visual setting and pattern of the area being 'eroded' by additional houses on the 1.6-acre site.

Those concerns were shared by some of the seven objectors, who added that the development would cause disruption and disturbance for residents.

They argued it would lead to more traffic and parked cars causing congestion and highlighted road safety issues on an already busy street.

It has also been claimed that the plot is too close to the water to build on, that new houses would be too near to the children's playpark and that property prices in the estate could fall.

One person wrote in support of the application saying new houses 'would improve derelict land' and complete the estate.

There have been no objections from any local authority department or external agencies, although council roads officials have set out detailed requirements for parking, site access, pavements, street lighting and traffic calming measures should a full planning application be submitted further down the line.

Several failed attempts have been made to build houses on the land over the years.

Councillors will decide on the latest application on Wednesday at 4pm in the Greenock Municipal Buildings, with the meeting open to the public.