BUSINESSMEN Sandy and James Easdale have succeeded in their bid to increase the number of houses allowed in their planned £250 million redevelopment of the former IBM site at Greenock.
At an Inverclyde Council planning meeting yesterday, councillors voted in favour of lifting the existing cap from 270 dwellings to 450.
The brothers, former directors at football club Rangers, had originally applied for 450 houses to be permitted as part of a mixed-use development which will include retail, leisure and commercial units.
In March 2022, councillors gave the go-ahead for the scheme but with a reduction in the number of houses applied.
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The Easdales noted that, “following extensive dialogue with council officials and an independent report indicating that a 270-unit development would leave the whole project unviable”, the council “has moved to increase the upper limit to 450 houses”.
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Sandy Easdale said: “The redevelopment of the former IBM Greenock site will be transformational for Inverclyde and we’re pleased that the council has chosen to increase the number of dwellings allowed.
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“The reduction rendered the £250 million plan financially unviable and we would have lost the opportunity to attract new families to the area as well as the economic and jobs boost that will come from the development.”
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