A CASH boost of more than £19 million to buy and partly demolish Dumbarton's central shopping precinct and regenerate the surrounding area has been hailed as 'fantastic news' for the town.

The local authority will receive £19.9m as part of an award of £172m to councils across the UK from the Levelling Up Fund.

A large part of the cash will be used for the purchase and partial demolition of the Artizan Centre shopping area off the High Street and the redevelopment of the site.

The funding will be also used for the transformation of B-listed Glencairn House into a state-of-the-art library, museum and community facility, the creation of a publicly accessible archive in the existing library building and the completion of the Connecting Dumbarton project to enhance active travel connections between the town centre, waterfront path and Dumbarton Central railway station.

Councillor Jonathan McColl, the council's leader, said: "This is fantastic news for Dumbarton and West Dunbartonshire as a whole and we are delighted to have beaten off strong competition to receive this funding to invest in our area.

"I’d like to thank officers for their hard work in preparing these bids under difficult time pressures and successfully unlocking this investment.

"I have no doubt that our track record of investment by the council, Scottish Government and other partners in major regeneration projects throughout West Dunbartonshire played a big part in our successful bid.

"The panel will have had confidence that West Dunbartonshire has significant experience working collaboratively and spending public money wisely for the benefit of our communities.

"We are committed to improvements in our town centres, and the three focal points in our bid – the Artizan, Glencairn House and improving active travel routes through Connecting Dumbarton  – will bring long-term enhancements to our town centre for both residents and visitors.

“Each of these projects are ambitious, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them progress in the coming months and years."

Councillor Iain McLaren, the local authority's convener of infrastructure, regeneration and economic development, added: "This is a huge win for West Dunbartonshire and the communities who will benefit from the town centre enhancements.

“The council has already invested into the transformation of Clydebank at Queens Quay, and this funding means significant investment will have taken place in West Dunbartonshire’s two biggest towns.

"Our plans to transform Glencairn House - Dumbarton’s oldest building - into a new, purpose-built and modern library, along with the redevelopment of the Artizan Centre and Connecting Dumbarton proposals, will ensure that our town highlights our rich heritage, and is well connected and easily accessible to both residents and visitors alike."