The Carmelite Sisters who have moved from their monastery at Kirktonhill to a new convent overlooking the River Clyde at Clerkhill in Dumbarton. Pictures by Bill Heaney

By Bill Heaney

If there is one surefire way of getting planning permission then that is praying for it.

The Carmelite Sisters, formerly of Kirktonhill, were saddled with an expanse of dereliction and neglect when they moved into the Notre Dame convent overlooking the River Clyde in the West End.

Clerkhill can be a dark and dangerous place above the riverside cliffs – and the nuns prayed that some day neighbours would move in and take the land off their hands.

That would make the place safer for the nuns themselves and for the few people who go to daily Mass there in the convent chapel.

Almost miraculously, the Easdale brothers, one-time directors of Rangers Football Club, came on the scene  and expressed an interest in the property.

They had to jump through lots of hoops before they could persuade West Dunbartonshire Council that the old buildings and the site would give the long-deprived West End a much-needed boost by creating a social mix of housing, schools and amenities.

That permission came to fruition when Advance Land Regeneration said yesterday that it has has secured planning permission from the Council to develop the five-hectare site off the Dumbarton-Cardross-Helensburgh road opposite the Monument Park.

ALR say they are working in partnership with Miller Homes (West) Scotland, and that the site – formerly occupied by St Michael’s Primary School and Notre Dame Convent – will deliver 81 new homes.

Advance Land Regeneration, together with planning consultants and masterplanners Barton Willmore, and consultant engineers Dougall Baillie Associates, revealed it has spent the past year working with the council’s planning department to ensure the layout responds to the ‘challenging constraints’ within the site.

Work will start shortly to develop a new community comprising a mix of two-storey housing alongside open space, a play area, landscaping and a new access road.

Lynsey Breen, head of acquisitions at Advance Land Regeneration, said, “We are delighted to have gained planning for this development that will transform a neglected area into a thriving new community that will enhance and positively contribute to the local amenity and economy.

“The new development will feature quality family homes set against the backdrop of the Forth of Clyde and will have publicly accessible multi-functional open spaces for all to enjoy.”

AC Land Regeneration, a division of Advance Construction, specialises in the remediation and promotion of distressed brownfield sites.