A PIONEERING energy scheme which will use river heat to power homes and businesses has been given the green light.
Planning permission has been awarded for a new energy centre at the 80-acre Queens Quay development in Clydebank.
The £250 million project seeks to transform the disused John Brown’s shipyard site into a new business, leisure and residential district.
The area will be served by a heat network that draws power from the waters of the Clyde with specialised pumps.
Developers say this will be the “largest and most ambitious” district heat network in the country and will make the West Dunbartonshire town “the greenest town in Scotland”.
The carbon-free system is designed on a modular basis to allow expansion, and could eventually take in the nearby Golden Jubilee Hospital and wider Clydebank area.
Paul O’Donnell of Dawn Urban Regeneration Ltd, a development partner in the project, said: “It is fantastic news that we’ve achieved planning permission for the Queens Quay Energy Centre, it is yet another piece of good news in the delivery of the project and promises a green future for Clydebank.
“The coming year will be very important for Queens Quay with the delivery of all infrastructure and the commencement of a number of other exciting developments.”
Queens Quay is owned by Clydeside Regeneration Limited, with some funding coming from West Dunbartonshire Council.
The local authority will own, operate and maintain the heating system, promising reduced tariffs for customers. Gas boilers will also be included as a back-up to cover emergency or peak demand.
The QE2 and Queen Mary ships were built at the Queens Quay site, where construction on a £15m care home is expected to begin next year. A £23.5m leisure centre is already open, with housing and retail space to follow.
Gas boilers are included as a backup source of energy in times of emergency or peak demand.
Meanwhile, Hamilton Park Racecourse has welcomed South Lanarkshire Council’s decision to rubber stamp plans for a £10m hotel on its grounds.
Work will begin in spring and reports suggest it could bring an additional £5.9m of visitor spending to the area per year.
Racecourse chief executive Vivien Currie said: “We welcome today’s decision to approve our plans for a landmark £10m hotel. We are incredibly excited about this development.
“This significant investment project will bring fantastic benefit to our business and the wider economy.”
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