PLANS for a new £19.25million Health Centre in Clydebank have taken another step forward.

An Outline Business Case (OBC) for the new facility was approved by the board of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde yesterday and it will now be submitted to the Scottish Government’s Capital Investment Group for funding.

The health centre, along with a new care home, will form the health quarter of the Queens Quay regeneration project, which will see hundreds of homes built on the site of the former John Brown Shipyard and in the shadow of the Titan Crane.

It is the second major new facility for the area following the opening of the £23.8m new Clydebank Leisure Centre in March this year.

Councillor Marie McNair, Convener of the West Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership’s Integrated Joint Board, said: “It is fantastic news that NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has approved this funding and that the ambitious plans for Queens Quay have taken another giant leap forward.”

The regeneration of Queens Quay will see at least 1200 new homes built along with a retail unit, pub/diner and hotel.

There will also be a new public space with pedestrian access to the riverside and to the town centre and transport interchange.

As well as Clydebank Leisure Centre, the site is also home to council offices at Aurora House and a West College Scotland campus.

A £12m District Heating Scheme that will heat the homes, the health quarter and other local buildings recently secured £6m of Scottish Government funding.

It is anticipated work on the health centre will begin in the second half of 2018, with completion expected in 2020.

Leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, Jonathan McColl, said: “The Queens Quay development will transform that part of Clydebank and create homes and amenities that residents can be proud of.

"The health centre will benefit the entire Clydebank area by providing a state-of-the-art facility closer to the town centre and to transport links.”

Infrastructure work at the site, including repairs to quay walls and new basin decking along with the creation of a new road layout, will begin shortly.

The next stage in the development of the health centre is for it to go through the process of applying for planning permission.

Beth Culshaw, Chief Officer of the West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership, added: “This new expanded Health and Care Centre will be much more than a simple replacement of the existing facility.

"It will give local people access to state-of-the-art health and care services in a facility fit for the 21st Century – all under one roof.

“A key part of our vision going forward is to enhance our community health services. We want to see GPs empowered to play an enhanced role, leading multi-disciplinary teams of health professionals.

“The Clydebank Health and Care Centre will be the perfect place in which this vision can become a reality and I am sure it will serve the local community well for many years to come.

“This new centre will also contribute to the regeneration of Clydebank as well as making a real contribution to local residents’ health.

"It will be a marked improvement on the current outdated building and will provide better access to the wide range of services.

“The HSCP believes that the people of Clydebank can flourish with access to health and social care support when they need it.

"The new centre will help us to actively transform health and social care services to help people and their communities lead stronger, healthier lives.”