Work is underway on the excavation of a former Esso oil terminal in Bowling as part of a remediation project on the site.

The initial focus is on an area in Westfield which was once hosted a rail yard.  

Since the work began in January, around 10,000 tonnes of soil has already been excavated for treatment. 

The soil is then gathered, tested and remediated as necessary using a specialist soil washing process. Once cleaned, the remediated soil will be returned to the ground – and any waste material will be separated and removed from the site.  

The works are being carried out by environmental remediation specialist DEME Environmental on behalf of Esso, which is committed to voluntarily remediate the brownfield site to standards agreed with West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) for future beneficial use.  

James Hadwen, Esso’s manager for the remediation project at Bowling, said: “We are pleased to be moving to the next stage of the programme. The excavation work will be contained on-site and there is not expected to be any impact on the local community. 

“We will continue to engage with the local community to keep them informed of the programme of works on the site, which forms a key part of WDC’s vision for regeneration in the area under the Glasgow City Region City Deal.” 

The Glasgow City Region City Deal was a fund set up in 2014 to finance major infrastructure projects in Glasgow and seven neighbouring member authorities, with West Dunbartonshire one of them.

The £1.13bn deal is hoped to bring tens of thousands of jobs to the Glasgow City Region through 20 infrastructure projects.

And West Dunbartonshire Council’s ambitious proposals to create a major industrial and commercial development in Bowling on the site of the former ExxonMobil terminal are progressing.

The £34million project will see the area transformed into a mixed-use development, comprising storage, distribution, industrial, business and office space.

The project will also include a number of road improvements connecting to the site, including the addition of a new 1.95km relief road through West Dunbartonshire.