A £10MILLION housing project in Bishopton is set to provide 80 new homes and bring job opportunities.

Renfrewshire Council has said the development, which will offer properties for rent in Dargavel Village from 2019, will not only see the delivery of new residences but will also provide a range of community benefits.

Amongst them is a pledge to create four jobs for people new to the construction industry, two apprenticeships and a series of work placements, as well as educational programmes, such as school visits.

There will also be a new motorway junction completed as part of the M8, which is scheduled to open in 2020.

The contract was awarded to Lovell Partnerships Ltd, who will now oversee the build, and was approved by the council’s Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board.

Councillor John Shaw, board convener, said: “This is an important step towards our local target to build 1,000 new affordable homes in the five years to 2021 and, in doing so, create positive, thriving communities and encourage people to live and work in Renfrewshire.”

David Woodrow, chair of Bishopton Community Council, has given a cautious welcome to the development.

He said: “In the end, something has to be done with the site and, so far, what’s been proposed is good.

“We welcome the employment aspect but we have a few issues around the council ensuring that local people get first priority on the new homes and creating an infrastructure to support the development with regards education.

“Bishopton is a community that caters for all and we want it to remain that way, so with a little more vision from the council in other areas, outwith the building of the homes themselves, that need can be met.”

The land on which the development is based has been provided free of cost by defence and security technology company BAE Systems as part of its regeneration drive of the old Royal Ordnance Factory site previously used for the production of munitions.

The new homes – a mix of flats, semi-detached and mid-terraced properties – are being funded by a combination of council investment and the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Grant.

To find out more, visit the website at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/dargavel.