A NEW £40 million Scotch whisky and gin plant in Dumbarton has been given the green light to start work on the first phase of the development.

Chivas Brothers was granted planning permission from West Dunbartonshire Council to expand its bottling facilities at its Kilmalid site in Dumbarton.

The plans, announced in November last year, will see the whisky business establish a new plant, equipment and facilities in Kilmalid, offering "outstanding performance in quality, safety and efficiency" with a newly designed, purpose built bottling hall, and work will begin immediately.

The move is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the area when the drinks giant relocates from its current Paisley site.

Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and CEO at Chivas Brothers said:“Today’s decision marks the beginning of a hugely exciting new era for our business and through this investment we will deliver our ambition to achieve excellence in our operations, enabling us to develop and grow our portfolio of iconic and global brands.

“It’s an exciting time in the industry, with Scotch growing in value and volume and exports increasing by 4 per cent last year, and our expansion will enable us to lead the way and capitalise on the opportunities this brings.

“With an 80-year history in Dumbarton we’re proud to be investing and expanding in this community and look forward to progressing the project to the next stage.”

The decision came at Wednesday's planning committee in the council's Garshake office.

Pamela Clifford, planning and buildings standard manager, said: "This is part one of the proposals, the second part is an erection of an office building.

"It will house an additional four bottling plants."

Councillors were quick to welcome the site and its economic investment in the town, however, Cllr Karen Conaghan raised concerns over the potential impact of nearby Strathleven House.

The house itself had lodged fears with the planning department over potential issues the site could cause for the listed building, prompting queries from Cllr Conaghan over the use of a secondary access road onto the plant.

A council officer confirmed it would be "50/50" for lorries using the road to enter and exit the site but insisted it would not be a primary access route.

While Ms Clifford added that the department is working with Chivas to incorporate a fence and a line of trees to minimise any potential problems for the house.

Cllr Lawrence O'Neill added: "I very much welcome the alterations on behalf of Chivas ... given that it's much welcome within the economy of West Dunbartonshire."