Clydebank hotel plan set for refusal over land‑stability concerns

West Dunbartonshire Council’s planning officers are recommending refusal following warnings from the Coal Authority that the site sits within a high‑risk former mining and outcrop zone.

Submitted in 2025 by Environmental Design Scotland on behalf of Montgomery Developers, the proposal seeks to transform a vacant brownfield plot beside Clydebank Leisure Centre on Ossian Way. The fully electric building features a flowing, ribbon‑style design intended to echo the area’s shipbuilding heritage and the surrounding Clyde and Kilpatrick landscape.

The plans include a rooftop lounge, restaurant and bar, café, and meeting and events space, along with a ground‑floor “river gallery” showcasing heritage walls and rotating displays developed with local historians. Developers estimate the project could create 80–100 full‑time jobs.

However, the Coal Authority has lodged a formal objection, stating that the applicant has not demonstrated the land can be made safe for a Class 7 hotel. Planning officers echoed this position, concluding: “The proposal has not demonstrated that the land is, or can be, made safe and suitable for the proposed use.”

West Dunbartonshire Council’s planning committee will rule on the application on January 14.