THE £30 million regeneration of the Bellsmyre estate in Dumbarton is set to take a major step forward next week.

West Dunbartonshire’s planning committee will be asked to give the green light to plans by Caledonia Housing Association (CHA) to build 44 houses and 22 flats on a site off Muir Road.

The proposed development is the first stage of the long-planned Bellsmyre Regeneration Project, in which CHA intends to replace 225 unpopular flats with around 210 low-rise homes in the area.

Council planning officials have recommended that the committee should grant full permission for the development on a site of around two hectares, where several multi-storey blocks of flats have been demolished over the past decade.

A report on the application says that the redevelopment of the site “will play a strategic part in the continuing regeneration of the Bellsmyre area”.

A planning statement in support of the project, prepared by ECD Architects, says the Muir Road housing will be ‘silver standard’ low-energy properties – but that future stages of the regeneration project could be built to a higher energy saving specification.

As well as the houses and flats, which will have a mixture of one, two and three bedrooms, the Muir Road proposals also include 68 car parking spaces.

A report by Peter Hessett, the council’s strategic lead for regulatory services, says: “The redevelopment of this vacant brownfield site for residential purposes would assist in the further regeneration of this part of the Bellsmyre and will provide a range of quality affordable housing to the area.

“The development will provide much needed high quality affordable housing on a sustainable and well connected site.”

The planning committee is due to meet via video link on Wednesday, August 19.

Earlier this year, a ballot of tenants in Bellsmyre delivered an overwhelming vote in favour of a ‘transfer of engagements’ to CHA from Bellsmyre Housing Association.

In November, CHA secured planning approval from the council for plans to build eight two-bedroom cottage flats and 41 two- and three-bed properties on the site of the former Highdykes Primary School in nearby Bonhill.