Councillors have approved plans to develop houses on a former power station site.

Plans include the development of 650 new homes on the 100-acre cleared site – which will be known as Brueacre Village.

A new village centre with retail, community facilities and high-quality open spaces – including a public park and a network of foot and cycle paths – are also part of the plans. Upgrades to surrounding road networks will also form part of the development to improve infrastructure to the village.

Commenting on the announcement, Councillor Wilson said: “I think I’ve been sitting in this chair for about 15 years now and this is probably the most exciting application that’s come in front of me in all that time. I think it’s really quite imaginative what has been done with a very old and really very worn-out industrial site.”

Councillor Jim Clocherty added: “This s an application we’ve known about for years and it is for the betterment of the whole of Inverclyde.”

ScottishPower, the firm behind the proposal, now plans to sell the site to housebuilders to take the blueprint forward.