A LARGE heavy goods vehicle operating centre could be coming to the Vale – and it could create up to 20 new jobs.

The proposed centre has been earmarked for an area of land on the west edge of Vale of Leven Industrial Estate.

If approved, it’s understood that the centre would be used to help underpin the £40m expansion of Chivas Brothers.

In November, the Reporter told how the Scotch whisky and premium gin makers announced its intention to invest in a new state-of-the-art facility over the next three years at its Kilmalid site, in Dumbarton.

Plans include a bottling hall and office set for completion by the end of 2019, which will be newly designed and purpose built.

The proposal – which will be discussed by the council’s planning committee on Wednesday – seeks to form a heavy goods vehicle operating centre, comprising a new workshop building and parking area on land at Burroughs Way.

The applicant is a company called McPherson Ltd who have a UK-wide contract with Chivas for the distribution of their products.

A report to go before councillors said: “The application relates to undeveloped land within the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate.

“It is located at the western edge of the industrial estate, between the River Leven and the council’s recently constructed industrial units.

“The site is currently open land containing grass and trees.

“The site contains a relatively flat area adjacent to the existing industrial units, with a drop of around 1m to a lower area of the site which gently slopes down towards the River Leven.

“To the north and east of the site are various industrial units within the industrial estate, whilst to the west and south of the site there is a 40m wide strip of undeveloped land containing a mixture of trees and open space which separates the site from the River Leven.

“There is a path within this area which leads to a footbridge over the River Leven, linking the industrial estate with Renton.”

The report also goes into the reasons why McPherson Ltd want to move to the area, stating: “The applicant is a large haulage firm which provides transport for the drinks industry, and has a UK-wide contract with Chivas for distribution of spirit.

“The firm is based in Morayshire but its west of Scotland operations are carried out from various small lorry parking areas on Chivas property at Kilmalid, Dumbuck, Dalmuir, Paisley and sites in Ayrshire.

“It is proposed to consolidate these operations into a single operating centre and to bring maintenance functions which are currently subcontracted in house.”

It is understood the company’s preference is for a site in the Dalmuir or Dumbarton areas in order to “minimise empty vehicle movements,” and the application site is “particularly suited” to the applicant’s needs due to its proximity to Kilmalid.

Part of the proposal also includes plans to build a large parking area for as many as 80 lorries – before a further 32 would be created at a later phase – a workshop building area and a vehicle wash station. The operating centre would be in use 24 hours per day throughout the week, although levels of activity would “vary according to delivery schedules”.

Approximately 60 existing staff, mainly drivers, would relocate to the site from their existing operating bases, and around 15 to 20 new jobs are expected to be created within the first year.

There are, however, some environmental issues that would need to be looked at. The report states: “Existing trees along the edge of the road would be retained except where removal is necessary to create the access points and thinning out of some unhealthy trees.

“However, the remainder of the trees within the site (mostly located along the sloping ground between the two levels) will be removed in order to facilitate the development.”

And while the report concedes some aspects are “against the Local Plan” there are potential economic benefits.

The report concludes: “The open space to be developed is not of any particular ecological value, and it is considered that with suitable mitigation measures and enhancement of the adjacent open space within the applicant’s control would be acceptable.

“It is therefore considered that the economic benefits of the proposal would justify a departure from the open space policies in this instance.”