£60M LOMONDGATE DEVELOPMENT TAKES OFF

John McFall MP today (16th November 2007) officially launched building work on a new £60m office, residential, retail and leisure development on the site of the former J&B Bottling Plant in Strathleven, Dumbartonshire.

The West Dunbartonshire MP unveiled the name of the development, which is being spearheaded by Livingston based developer Walker Group, and announced details of the first tenants.

Lomondgate, which is located off the A82 leading to Loch Lomond, is set to welcome first tenants, Whitbread who have signed up to build a 60 bed Premier Travel Inn and Brewer's Fayre on the 100 acre site, part of which is already occupied by the BBC's River City set, and is being jointly created with Strathleven Regeneration Company.

Tesco, is also planning to build a petrol station and an associated food store on the site. Other tenants will be announced in the coming months.

A key element of the project will be 300 new homes, which are being built on the Lomondgate site by Walker Residential, the residential division of Walker Group, and other residential development partners.

The homes will be located on 30 acres of land to the south of the A82, with 28 acres north of the dual carriageway allocated for a combination of business and roadside service uses.

Mr McFall, who is chairman of Strathleven Regeneration Company, organised with Walker Group helicopter tours of Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven and Loch Lomondside to show potential tenants and officials the scale of the project.

He said: 'This is a very important project for the local regeneration and job creation. We hope it will create a large number of jobs and attract more and more of the seven million people who travel up the A82 towards Loch Lomond each year to stop and come into Dumbarton itself. We have a lovely town here in an excellent location for people to come here and live, work and enjoy their leisure hours.'

Contractors Raynesway have been appointed and already started roads and infrastructure work on the site, which will include the creation of a new roundabout on the A82. This will also provide a new link to the A813 Stirling Road in addition to further road improvements in the immediate area.

The A82 trunk road attracts over seven million passing visitors each year en route to Loch Lomond and the north as well as a number of site access roads.

Bruce Walker, Managing Director of Walker Group, which is joint partner on the project with Strathleven Regeneration Company, said: 'This development has been a long time in the planning and we are delighted that it is now coming to fruition.'

'It will really put Dumbarton on the map as one of Scotland's most exciting residential business, retail and tourist destinations and is set to bring many new jobs to the area. Lomondgate will be a terrific place to live and work with great scenery on the doorstep, fantastic amenities and superb transport links.'

The Strathleven development is being undertaken by Walker Group and Strathleven Regeneration Company, a non profit-making organisation set up in 1999 by Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire Council in conjunction with Diageo, the previous owners of the site, following the closure of the drinks bottling facility on the Gooseholm site.

further information

Sharon McEwan
Bright PR
sharonm@brightpr.com
Tel: 0141 248 1234

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