But bosses at Renfrewshire Council are finally celebrating a victory — after the Scottish Government agreed to give Braehead town centre status.

Just last week The Gazette reported how council leader Mark Macmillan said local businesses had been left in limbo by delays on a decision over the council’s masterplan for land use.

The Local Development Plan dictates which areas of land in the area can and cannot be used for retail, housing and industrial use.

The council’s proposed plan was submitted to the Scottish Government Reporter for examination earlier this year, but the recommendations which came back included the removal of a section which would classify Braehead as a town centre.

While councillors agreed in June to accept all other recommendations, they took the view that the government’s refusal to accept the change of status for Braehead was not legally sound, and sent the plan back.

However, after angering critics who claimed it could put 5,000 new jobs and £2 million worth of investment at risk, the Scottish Government have now made a U-turn on the opposition.

Renfrewshire’s Council Leader says he believes the doors have been opened to a ‘new and exciting era of economic growth’ on Renfrewshire’s waterfront.

Councillor Mark Macmillan said: “Braehead’s change of status had not initially been supported by Scottish Government Reporters — but the council’s Planning and Property Policy Board decided there were sufficient grounds to mount a challenge to the reporter’s findings.” And Councillor Macmillan reckons the support of the council’s stance – coming hot on the heels of the signing of the government-backed £1.1billion Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal to support major infrastructure projects – will deliver a major boost for Renfrewshire.

He added: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government has agreed with our position on Braehead and support our plans to bring more jobs to the area.

“The formal adoption of the Local Development Plan ends a period of uncertainty for residents and businesses – meaning we now know what can be built where.

“By giving Braehead the same town centre status as Silverburn and Glasgow Fort, we will be able to streamline the planning process for developers and bring fresh investment to Renfrewshire.

“The recently-signed City Deal will include millions of pounds of investment over the next decade in the Clyde waterfront and Renfrew Riverside area, including a new bridge over the river from Renfrew to Yoker.

“These two pieces of good news together create the potential for a new and exciting era of economic growth on the waterfront.

The council’s Local Development Plan also contains the release of land for new housing at various sites across Renfrewshire.

Councillor Macmillan added: “We are sensitive to the fact that the issue of housing on greenbelt land often attracts discussion and debate among residents.

“It has already been well documented that there are several local sites that we did not want to release for housing - we felt we could deliver new homes on brownfield sites instead but reluctantly we had to accept the Reporter’s decision.

“But overall we believe the plan strikes a good balance between protecting the environment while creating opportunities for growth, and believe it will benefit the area.” The local authority made its first request for town centre status in 1999 and, in June this year, Holyrood reporters rejected proposals to change the status of the shopping centre and precinct.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scottish Ministers’ decisions as to whether they will intervene at this stage of the development planning process are taken on a case by case basis and in light of the particular circumstances of each proposed plan.

“It is the responsibility of the planning authority to satisfy itself that they have complied with legislation.

“Scottish Ministers have considered the information provided and concluded that the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan would not be unsatisfactory to the extent that they would wish to intervene.”