INVERCLYDE today stands ready for a 'substantial' influx of highly paid industrial jobs following an £11 million investment at Inchgreen - with overtures from major international companies already being made.

Global blue-chip firms from sectors including vessel building, renewables and food processing have expressed strong interest in the newly created Inchgreen Marine Park in Greenock.

Jim McSporran - director of Clydeport whose parent company Peel own the Inchgreen site, and its adjacent dry dock - told the Telegraph that the development is part of a push to get the area 'back to its industrial past'.

Mr McSporran says that the development of the marine park has piqued the interest of big industrial players who could soon be poised to create a variety of highly skilled jobs to the district.

He said: “Until we did all these works, we weren’t in a position to really market the site hard, but we’ve been doing a bit of forward marketing and we’ve got some real big international businesses interested in the site.

“We can’t name who they are because we’re covered by confidentiality, but we’re talking about the renewables sector, oil and gas, biofuels, food processing and a number of other areas including boat buildings. We’re talking to two manufacturers of SOVs (service operation vessels).

“We need to get the site back to its industrial past and I’ve mentioned maybe three or four big sectors there, all interested parties.

“The impact on jobs, I won’t mention any numbers, but it would be substantial.”

Greenock Telegraph: Inverclyde could be set for a ‘substantial’ influx of jobs after more than £11m was invested

New utility connections, new roadways and even the purchase of extra land to make the site more usable are included in the major project that has just been completed at Inchgreen.

Mr McSporran hopes that the arrival of new jobs can help redress some of the economic hardships that have hit Inverclyde in the last 18 months, which have included the loss of 1200 jobs due to various firms choosing to leave the area.

He said: “We’re talking about big numbers with international blue-chip companies coming in and also apprenticeship schemes for boatbuilding and propulsioning units as well.

“It’s a wide range of different sectors, we’re trying to cover as many bases as possible.

“The good thing is that the number of live enquiries that we’ve got at the minute can’t all fit into Inchgreen, it’s all long-term.

“We have to meet certain criteria when they come in, there has to be inward investment, they need to be creating jobs and it needs to be highly skilled, high paying jobs.

“We’re getting that sort of traction now and it really could be quite something in a couple of years’ time.”

The marine park project included the refurbishment of the site’s platers’ shed, upgrades to quay walls, dredging to bring water levels down to navigational depth, removing old structures, as well as improving lighting, electrics and internal roadways across the site.

The development is part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal funded by the Scottish and UK governments (£8.4m), Inverclyde Council (£1.36m), and the refurbishment of the Platers' Shed was funded from the Scottish Government’s Clyde Mission Fund (£1.36m).

Greenock Telegraph: Inverclyde could be set for a ‘substantial’ influx of jobs after more than £11m was invested

Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe said: "We recognise the importance of Inchgreen as a key industrial site and the huge opportunities for creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

“These works are designed to pave the way for further inward investment in the wider Inchgreen Marine Park and unlock the potential of this prime, waterfront site in the heart of Inverclyde right next to the River Clyde and with excellent links to the wider Glasgow City Region.”

The marine park now encompasses land next to the A8 trunk road that had lain empty following a fire in 2017 that destroyed a meat processing plant which once stood on the plot.

The site is next to Clydeport's Inchgreen Dry Dock, which is suitable for a wide range of marine-based engineering activities, from shipbuilding to decommissioning.

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Màiri McAllan said: “I am delighted we are providing more than £4 million towards the upgrades at Inchgreen Marine Park through Glasgow City Region City Deal.

“This regeneration project can help draw business investment to Inchgreen Marine Park and revitalise a key site for Inverclyde. This is complemented by a further £1.3 million we are providing to the Plater’s Shed project through the Clyde Mission, delivering on our commitment to support the Inverclyde economy to thrive.

“In co-operation with partners, we are building a more prosperous economy on the banks of the River Clyde to the benefit of the wider region.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont said: "The UK Government and partner-funded transformation of this site into a sought-after waterside industrial facility is fantastic news for Inverclyde and Greenock.

“More than £4 million of the UK Government's £523 million investment into the Glasgow City Region Deal has been used to upgrade the quayside and build new roads so that Inchgreen Marine Park will attract industry, create jobs and help boost the economy."