Plan for 126 affordable homes at site of school
PLANS have been unveiled for 126 new affordable homes on the site of a former school in Clydebank.
The detailed application for the site is split between 58 units for Cube Housing Association and 68 for West Dunbartonshire Council.
The local authority is leading the way on the design, procurement and management of the 3.1-hectare site of the old St Andrew’s High School, which has been derelict since 2010 and earmarked for housing for some time.
The development would be a mix of townhouses, bungalows and two and three-storey blocks of flats.
Bordered by the railway line, Glasgow Road, Whitecrook Street and North Douglas Street, the homes will be central for West College Scotland, Clydebank Leisure Centre, the railway station, the shopping centre and bus links.
Gil Paterson, MSP for the town, said: “It is great to see plans going in for more social housing in Clydebank. It is also excellent news for the on-going regeneration of the waterfront area.
“There will be an enormous queue for the houses when they become available. Congratulations to all those who are making this happen because there’s a dire shortage of quality accommodation.”
The former St Andrew’s High and Braidfield High were approved for housing use in March 2016.
The St Andrew’s properties will be accessed from Whitecrook Street and John Knox Street, with a new road linking the two. There will also be a total of 135 parking spaces for the 126 homes.
Cube director David MacKenzie told the Evening Times’ sister title, the Clydebank Post: “If the plans are approved, we hope to start work on 58 much-needed homes for social rent in Clydebank before the end of the year.
“The plans are part of our strategic partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council which will see Cube build many more affordable homes across the area.”
Initial public comments on the proposals are broadly in favour, but raise concerns about access roads and the number of parking spaces.
One neighbour wrote: “Whitecrook Street is an already busy narrow street with a low bridge. The new access roads would link both Whitecrook Street and John Knox Street.
“Connecting these roads would result in a huge increase in traffic as most property owners with cars would use Whitecrook Street to travel to Clyde Shopping Centre as it would be the shortest route.”
Work would start in January 2019 and be completed by September 2020. The land of the former school most recently featured in a shot for Trainspotting 2, looking over the empty space towards the Douglas Hotel, which will face the homes.