Funding has been secured to dredge the river and Renfrewshire Council will oversee the £350,000 project at Westway Dock in Renfrew.

The work which will mean greater capacity for river traffic at the site.

The funding has come from Scottish Enterprise's National Renewables Infrastructure Fund, which aims to equip port-side manufacturing locations to take on work for wind turbine production and related activities.

The owners of the Westway Park site, in the town's Porterfield Road, received money from the fund this year to help pay for the initial development of the facility.

As Renfrewshire Council is the designated authority for the river, it is responsible for the dredging work, without which the use of the dock is limited.

Councillor Jim Harte, convener of the council's Environment and Infrastructure Policy Board, welcomed the news, saying: "Two of this council's key priorities are in helping to bring jobs to Renfrew-shire, and in supporting the development of environmentally-friendly ways to work.

"We are keen to attract important manufacturing jobs such as those at Doosan Babcock and Steel Engineering, two companies which will benefit directly from this project.

"The Scottish renewables industry will only become more important in the years to come, and we are keen for Renfrewshire to play its part in that."

The council's environment and infrastructure policy board considered a report from planning bosses confirming the council was happy with the terms of the grant offer.

The funding will cover contractor costs, project management and consultancy fees.

Earlier this year the Evening Times revealed the £1.3m project to create a key location for Scotland's renewable energy industry at the Renfrew site.

Bosses behind the scheme say it could bring in up to £70m of investment in 10 years.

The site and adjoining dock in Renfrew is on the banks of the White Cart Water, opposite Glasgow Airport.