Last week, West Dunbartonshire Council announced a new relief road would be built at the former Exxon site in Bowling to allow heavy traffic on the A82 to bypass the Milton bottleneck.

The A82 road is a vital link for residents from Helensburgh and Lomond and is used by thousands of commuters weekly.

Speaking to the Advertiser, a spokesman for the Helensburgh and Lomond Chamber of Commerce said: “Helensburgh and Lomond Chamber of Commerce members will welcome the news. The junction at Milton has been a problem for many years causing long tail backs and delays for people trying to go about their business.

“It will also help to alleviate some concerns about access for emergency services and in particular ambulances trying to get to hospitals in Glasgow and Paisley, where Helensburgh and Lomond patients have to go for emergency and specialist services.” The funding for the new relief road is part of a £1.3 billion City Deal investment in the Greater Glasgow region across eight participating local authorities, including West Dunbartonshire Council.

The authority has identified the 81-acre site at Bowling as a key project that would require around £27.9 million investment to pay for the future development of the site for, we understand, offices and/or warehouses.

Exxon is currently in the process of decontaminating the site through a procedure known as bioremediation, as it was used as a petrochemical plant for a number of years.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Jim Thomson, planning convener of Bowling and Milton Community Council (BMCC), said the road has been needed for a number of years.

He said: “This is something we have been very supportive of all along. We feel there is a need for it, particularly when ambulances need to come through.

“It could also be invaluable for the future of Dunglass House and castle, it would open up the opportunity for a tourist centre because of the associations with Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

“Finally, it could also open up the opportunity for family housing at the former Scott’s Yard in the village.” Martin Rooney, the leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, welcomed the new funding stream that is also expected to provide a massive shot in the arm to the Greater Glasgow economy with the resurrection of a rail project linking the city to Glasgow Airport also being considered.

The UK Government and Scottish Government will each give the City Region £500 million in grant funding while the local authorities involved, including WDC, will borrow a further £130 million as part of a scheme that is expected to give the region an uplift of £2.2 billion per year and unlock private sector investment of £3.3 billion.

The creation of 15,000 construction jobs during the construction period is also predicted as well as a further 28,000 permanent additional jobs once construction is complete.

It was announced last year that Glasgow would be the first city in Scotland to benefit from City Deal status while similar deals are already in place in Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Officers will begin work on a master-plan for the future of the Bowling site, which it is expected will be complete in six months to a year’s time.