AN opposition councillor has expressed concerns over plans for West Dunbartonshire Council to purchase the land which housed the former Exxon site in Bowling.

The concerns were raised as a report on the multi-million pound regeneration project on the site near Bowling was presented at a full meeting of the council last week.

The Exxon site project is part of the Glasgow City Region: City Deal which would see the council contribute £3.8m to the overall £28m regeneration project. The council wants to transform the site near Bowling with a major industrial and commercial development, and create a road to provide an alternative route in and out of West Dunbartonshire.

The Glasgow City Region: City Deal is an agreement between the UK Government, the Scottish Government and eight local authorities across Glasgow and the Clyde Valley.

The project would support up to 690 full time jobs when work is complete, with the site potentially generating an additional £19.1m each year for the West of Scotland economy according to council projections.

The council were expected to have been allowed access to the site by now to carry out on-site investigations.

However, Dumbarton ward councillor George Black questioned the suitability of the land which would have to be bought from Exxon by the council and undergo decontamination processes. Exxon have confirmed that they are working with Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to carry out surveys and investigations into contamination at the site.

Both he and Leven ward councillor Jim Bollan have previously expressed concerns over the way negotiations between the council and ExxonMobil have gone.

At the meeting last week Cllr Black asked why land that was deemed unfit for housing due even after decontamination would be suitable for businesses where people would have to work at least five days a week. He also questioned the number of jobs that would be provided by the project, saying: "Why are we telling people that we are going to create thousands of jobs?

"Here we have a report that raises more questions than answers. We are not progressing very well and I think that Exxon is running rings round us. There are eight key milestones and only one is complete. We have a lot of smoke and mirrors and more pie in the sky."

Councillor Patrick McGlinchey informed the meeting that the project was both on schedule and on budget.

Councillor Bollan also questioned if the land would be suitably remediated and if it would be suitable for the use intended following any purchase by West Dunbartonshire Council. He said: "Are we really going to accept land we can't build houses on but it will be alright for workers to be on at least five days a week."

A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesman refuted the councillors' claims, saying: "These claims are wrong. In fact our relationship with Exxon is very productive and we continue to have extremely positive, and regular, dialogue with their representatives and are looking forward to a purchase agreement being provided by November.

"The site will be remediated to a level suitable for commercial and industrial use and will meet the standard required by the relevant regulatory bodies.

"The council has only ever stated that this project would support 690 jobs. The entire City Deal, across all eight local authorities, will lead to thousands of jobs being created throughout the Glasgow city region. We hope that clarifies the figures."