GREENOCK is to be transformed by a £180million waterfront makeover.

GREENOCK is to be transformed by a £180million waterfront makeover.

The move will create 2000 jobs, hundreds of luxury apartments and one of the country's biggest marinas.

The historic James Watt Dock is at the centre of the giant regeneration project which will also breathe new life into the town's Grade A listed Sugar Warehouse.

The wraps were taken off the ambitious 10-year scheme yesterday when Scottish Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell officially launched what will be one of the biggest redevelopment projects undertaken by the public and private sectors.

He said: "The redevelopment of the James Watt Dock will bring great benefits, generating jobs and investment and creating homes and a range of leisure and retail facilities.

"The Scottish Government is committed to helping households, businesses and encouraging development. These are the key themes of our Economic Recovery Plan and why we are investing £22m in the regeneration of Inverclyde."

The maritime make over will also incorporate 700 luxury flats and 85 affordable new homes, as well as 45,000 sq ft of shop space and another 145,000 sq ft for commercial use.

It will take a decade to complete the transformation, but local people will see a difference in a relatively short time.

The first phase will involve building a road into the dock, as well as essential environmental works.

And the initial programme will be completed before Scotland welcomes international crews due to tie up at the dock when the Tall Ships Race visits Greenock in 2011.

The project is taking place on 50 acres of land belonging to Clydeport.

Owner Peel Holdings has teamed up with Riverside Inverclyde to form a limited liability partnership to take the scheme forward.

It's estimated 1700 jobs will be created, while firms in the area will be used as suppliers.

Another attraction will be the creation of a marina that will be able to handle more than 400 boats. It will be the biggest in west Scotland and one of the largest in the country.

Euan Jamieson, at Peel, said the dock site offered huge potential and added: "It has been demonstrated that enormous strides can be made in social and economic regeneration when the public and private sector work together.

"We believe James Watt Dock will further demonstrate this, with the partnership of Peel and Riverside Inverclyde bringing together the public and private sectors on an equal basis, and providing funding resources to bring about this redevelopment"."

Alf Young, chairman of Riverside Inverclyde, added: "Creating this partnership marks a significant milestone in Riverside Inverclyde's mission to reclaim and regenerate an iconic stretch of waterfront for the communities of the Lower Clyde."

Backed by the Scottish Government, the project is the main focus of a £400m masterplan by job creators at Scottish Enterprise, Inverclyde Council and Peel to dramatically inject new life into five miles of waterfront stretching from Greenock to Port Glasgow.

It was in July 1995 that the Evening Times revealed how Tate & Lyle had sent troubleshooters to Greenock to sack 169 workers at the town's only sugar refinery.

The death knell was sounded when Eurocrats introduced new emission rules.

To comply, the giant sugar manufacturer faced £14m of modifications to its Clyde site. Transferring the work to a sister site in London would cost half that amount.

Tate & Lyle axed what was Scotland's last sugar refineries two years later.