A DEVELOPER has revealed plans to build around 100 houses near greenbelt between Helensburgh and Rhu.

Persimmon Homes have submitted a proposal of application notice with Argyll and Bute Council for 95 homes off Glenoran Road.

The land has been earmarked for a housing development in the local development plan.

A public consultation will be held in Rhu next month for members of the community to share their views and have input on the plans, before an application for planning permission is submitted to the council.

A separate application by Taylor Wimpey is currently in the hands of council planners to build 95 homes on the former Hermitage Academy site in the east end of the town.

Local politicians have welcomed the news saying homes are needed in a bid to reverse Argyll and Bute's declining population, and are encouraging members of the community to make their views known on the application, although concerns have already been raised about the potential development encroaching on the greenbelt area between Helensburgh and Rhu.

Brendan O'Hara, Argyll and Bute's MP, said: "Clearly the site off Glenoran Road has lain semi-derelict for some time and I’m glad to see that finally we may see improvement to this area.

"I would be keen to see a proportion of these homes designated as affordable and accessible to key workers who may otherwise have little opportunity of getting onto the property ladder.

"There are concerns that the proposed development is encroaching into greenbelt land but that will have to be considered in terms of the public interest."

He added interest from a large housebuilder when the population of the region is declining, and he is hopeful it will be one of many future investments in the town.

Jackie Baillie, Helensburgh and Lomond's MSP, said she welcomed interest from those "seeking to invest in Helensburgh", as the town "badly needs more homes built in the right places".

Councillor James Robb said there will always be "demand" for market homes in "an attractive town like Helensburgh".

He also said: "This is the second major site identified in the Local Development Plan to enter the planning process after the old Academy site.

"The remaining two are the lower part of the golf course and the field next to Hermitage Academy. It shows the council has got it broadly right in identifying sites to allow for the controlled expansion of the town.

"It is troubling that the development unnecessarily encroaches into the green belt against the council's advice."

Councillor Vivien Dance welcomed the news applications were coming forward from major companies, adding there was a need for attracting working age people to buy homes in Helensburgh and Lomond.

She said: "We must be able to attract working people aged between 20-44 to the area and without new homes this will simply not happen.

"This is a great place for families to live and for our young people to stay and prosper and I trust the building of new homes, once the planning process is completed, will give more people the chance to come and join us in Argyll and Bute and help communities and Helensburgh achieve a vibrant future.

"I look forward to following progress on these planned developments."

With hundreds of new homes in the pipeline for Helensburgh, Faisal Choudhry, director of residential research for Savills estate agents, said the market in the area has recovered after "a few subdued years".

Between December 2014 and November 2015, nearly 400 properties were sold in the G84 postcode.

Mr Choudhry said: "The drop we saw in 2012 when the referendum was announced - that drop in sales has now stopped. It has been a period of recovery. We are now seeing an increase in sales."

He said the selling points of Helensburgh included the variety of properties, and the commuter connection with Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Doug Law, managing director at Persimmon Homes West Scotland encouraged residents to go along on the day to "share their views and help us to shape our proposals", before a planning application is submitted to the council.

The public consultation event will be held on Wednesday, March 16 between 1-7pm, at the Ardencaple Hotel in Rhu.