WORK on a new park-and-ride scheme for Helensburgh commuters will be complete by next spring – providing more than 50 additional spaces for residents using the town's main rail link.

The project, on the site of the town's former gasometer on the corner of Grant Street and East Princes Street, is expected to cost £300,000.

When finished it will provide a total of 53 spaces, four of them for disabled use, and all subject to a pay-and-display charging scheme.

A report prepared for Argyll and Bute Council's Helensburgh and Lomond area committee states that the funding for the project is being provided by Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) – but that Transport Scotland would be willing to consider an application for a further grant if the construction cost exceeds £300,000.

The report to Thursday's meeting warned that the car park opposite the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre, currently used by Argyll and Bute Council's staff, will have to close for the duration of the building work, expected to last for around 10 weeks.

Councillor Ellen Morton, the area committee’s chair, said: “I am delighted that council officers and partner organisations like SPT and Sustrans have been able to produce this scheme so quickly bearing in mind the inevitable disruption to parking that the waterfront development will bring.

“It is also great that we have been able to produce this additional parking space for commuters at very little cost to the council. It should significantly reduce pressure on the streets around the station.

“It important that people realise that the two adjacent car parks must remain separate, although linked, in order to comply with separate funding and planning conditions.”

The council bought the site of the former gasometer from Scottish Gas Networks in March with money secured from a further grant application to SPT.

Vehicle access to the new car park will be from Grant Street only, with pedestrian access via East Princes Street to enable people to walk quickly between the railway station and the car park.

However, the report does not state how much motorists will have to pay to use the facility.

The report states: “It is estimated the construction of the new Park and Ride car park will take approximately 10 weeks. Construction will not commence prior to October 2017 and must be complete by the end of March 2018 to comply with the conditions of [the] grant.

“The dates of the construction period will be confirmed once a contractor has been appointed.

“Construction of the park and ride car park will be complete prior to construction work commencing on the pierhead development, with the only planned site work on the pierhead development during this time being site investigation/ground investigation works.

“During construction of the park and ride car park, which is expected to occur over a 10-week period between October 2017 and March 2018, Codona’s fairground equipment will have vacated the area of the pier car park behind the swimming pool for the winter which will increase the number of parking spaces available at the pier car park for all users.”

The pay-and-display regime at the new car park will be in place from 9am to 6pm, seven days a week, with the cost of a ticket redeemable against the price of a train ticket from Helensburgh Central.