Riverside Inverclyde

Welcome to Riverside Inverclyde's website !

Riverside Inverclyde (ri) is an urban regeneration company advancing a series of exciting regeneration projects, predominantly on a 4.5 mile stretch of waterfront at Greenock and Port Glasgow – towns synonymous with a strong shipbuilding, engineering, manufacturing and IT reputation. Inverclyde, one of Scotland’s 32 unitary authorities, also includes Gourock, Inverkip, Wemyss Bay and Kilmacolm. Riverside Inverclyde URC was set up as a joint initiative between Inverclyde Council, Scottish Enterprise and the private sector with support from the Scottish Government.

2013 sees Riverside Inverclyde move into the second half of its planned 10 year operational lifespan and our vision remains unchanged :

“to enhance the competitiveness of Inverclyde as a placed to live, work, visit, invest and do business in.”

The key objectives that will facilitate this vision also remain unchanged:

to accelerate physical regeneration to provide regionally competitive locations for new businesses and homes;
to facilitate economic restructuring;
to provided widespread access to opportunities created; and
to integrate Inverclyde with the regional economy.

“In total £56M has been committed on the ground,” said Bill Nicol, Chief Executive of Riverside Inverclyde, “and we have enjoyed notable successes over the first five years.”

Existing priority areas

Each priority area has been kept under review to allow continuous prioritisation to take place, maximising contributions and alignment to the ri objectives and priorities. The original priority areas are shown in the map below:

Priority areas 2012-2017

Gourock town centre, where ri is the delivery agent for an Inverclyde Council redevelopment project, has since been added as an eighth priority.

Employment generation

Employment generation is ri’s number one priority moving forward. This will be achieved through various means:

Direct provision of property at Riverside Business Park, Kelburn and the Custom House;
Refurbishing and managing business space across the ri property portfolio;
Creating business space through town centre regeneration activity;
Continuing to promote Inverclyde’s proposition for Energy and Renewables by expanding Inchgreen and aligning it with office /commercial development at James Watt Dock;
Supporting Tourism through projects such as Ocean Terminal (ocean liner traffic); sail tourism through a programme of marina developments; and building on the infrastructure investment at Gourock Pierhead; and
The potential of the Creative Industries sector in Inverclyde.

2012-13 sees Riverside Inverclyde advance specific projects which have clear economic development outcomes and are aimed directly and job creation and business support :

Riverside Business Park, an extensive business location already home to over 20 SME’s plus the international Cigna Healthcare Benefits, where ri’s impressive Clyde View office suites are now fully let, is benefitting from an additional phase of office development, securing/safeguarding further jobs for Inverclyde. This new building, again being constructed to a Grade A standard of flexible sized office suites will be available for occupation in 3Q2013;
Kelburn, a 6.45ha site just 15 minutes from Glasgow Airport, which ri has invested in major site infrastructure, has a speculative development of flexible light industrial accommodation of up to 41,000 square feet in the pipeline, with first phase construction of 8,000 square feet starting in mid 2013;
Cartsburn, a site ready to accommodate up to 70,000 square feet of bespoke office accommodation, including dedicated car parking, would be ideal for a regional HQ;
Custom House, a prestigious Georgian building on the waterfront is currently being refurbished for commercial use; and
Works will continue in the regeneration of Port Glasgow town centre and Riverside Inverclyde is delivering Inverclyde Council’s redevelopment plans for Gourock town centre improvements.

Alf Young, Chairman of Riverside Inverclyde summed up the mood of Inverclyde going forward, “we have a long and proud history as an important shipbuilding and marine engineering area and I am confident we can look forward to a similarly prosperous and vibrant future”.