A BUSINESSMAN behind plans to set up a business park which he estimates could bring up to 500 jobs to Helensburgh has reacted with delight after the project took a major step forward.

Malcolm Pearson, of Pearson Property Promotions, spoke to the Advertiser after the Scottish Government said it would not be intervening in plans to build office units and a family pub and restaurant at a ‘gateway’ site at the edge of the town.

Mr Pearson’s development plans for the Iona Stables site, to the east of the Morrisons supermarket on Cardross Road, were approved in principle by Argyll and Bute Council in April.

But his application for outline approval was referred to the government because the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) raised an objection over flooding concerns at the site.

Last Monday, however, the local authority announced that the Scottish Government would not be intervening, despite SEPA’s concerns, and that Mr Pearson’s application for ‘planning permission in principle’ – which attracted no objections and only one representation from the public – was therefore approved.

Mr Pearson told the Advertiser he now hopes to submit a further application to the council, this time for detailed planning permission, by the end of the year – and that if that application is approved, work on site could start in the late summer of 2022.

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“The flooding issue was the one thing that could have meant the Iona Stables project could not proceed,” he said, “so to get approval is a major milestone.

“We’d spent a lot of money, and time, satisfying Argyll and Bute Council that flooding would not be a major issue.

“We have experience of dealing with SEPA on other projects, and we knew that as long as the council and their flooding officer supported our case – and Argyll and Bute Council is backing the project – we were quietly confident the Scottish Government wouldn’t call it in.

“We’re now targeting the submission of a detailed planning application before Christmas, and hopefully getting approval by the spring of next year.”

Mr Pearson said he would be working closely with Argyll and Bute Council, and with Helensburgh Community Council, on the detailed application for permission for the project.

“The general principle of a business park and pub/restaurant in the town is, I think, supported by the public,” he continued.

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“As well as temporary jobs during the construction phase, I would estimate that subject to finding occupiers for the office buildings the project could create up to 500 jobs for the area.

“We know we might not satisfy everyone with regard to the detailed design – look at the Lady Helen sculpture at the Civic Centre, for example – but we recognise that this is a gateway site for Helensburgh and that whatever we design cannot be bland.

“It’ll take several months to draw up the detail – we haven’t looked at proposed elevations, materials or anything like that yet – but we think getting approval by the spring of next year is a realistic target, and if we can get that we would look to be on site towards the end of next summer.”

As previously reported in the Advertiser, Mr Pearson does not plan to take forward plans for the pub and restaurant himself, but to market that part of the site to potential operators, who would then be the ones to seek detailed planning consent for that aspect of the scheme.

A letter to the council from the Scottish Government said: “It is not Scottish ministers’ intention to intervene in this application by either issuing a direction restricting the granting of planning permission or by calling in the application for their own determination.

“Accordingly you, as determining authority, are hereby authorised to deal with the application in the manner you think fit.”

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