The tenements at Clune Park in the town of Port Glasgow were built a century ago as housing for shipyard workers but many have lain empty for decades A stand-off between private landlords and the local council has thwarted redevelopment leaving the site frozen in time with just a handful of tenants remaining Demolition contractors are expected on site within days preparing to take down a third of the buildings including a church and fire-damaged school after they were condemned as structurally unsafe Read more: Bulldozers to move in on Clune Park estate ShareSaveArdrossan Harbour campaigners hold protest on ferry routeIslanders are frustrated by the lack of progress around the future of Ardrossan Harbour Wonky lamb with wobbly walk becomes internet starWhen owner Rhoda Meek decided to share Wonky on her social media, she quickly attracted attention. 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'I hope my piano playing has brought joy to people over the past 40 years'A 91-year-old pianist has seen 40 years' worth of "proposals, engagements and affairs" in a Glasgow bar. We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports At around 20:55 on 15 March 2025 a wagon which was being propelled by a rail-mounted crane within an engineering possession struck two track workers near to Port Glasgow station One track worker became trapped between the wagon and a track panel which had previously been set down on the railway by a second crane Both cranes were being used as part of the renewal of a section of track within the possession The track worker who was trapped had to be freed by the emergency services and was subsequently treated in hospital for their injuries Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to the accident Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road including any recommendations to improve safety This report will be available on our website You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details 1 May, 2025 | Local THE 190th Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow Agricultural Show takes place in the spectacular setting of the Knapps Loch Kilmacolm on Saturday 10 May from 10am — it’s a great day out for the whole family Watch hundreds of entrants in our animal classes — sheep The Homecraft Tent is your local ‘Bake-off’ meets ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ arts and crafts are made by local adults and kids who are competing for points and there’s always an air of excitement when the tent is opened to the public after judging when the winners are revealed Entry forms and fees must be submitted by Friday 9 May Light Horse classes should be entered online by 6 May after which fees increase and entries will be taken on show day at the Horse Tent There will be a dog show for all hairy hounds — dogs do not need to be KC registered and entries are taken on show day from 10.30 at the Dog Ring or can be made online until 8 May There will be entertainment in the main ring dry stone walling display and a food court Back by popular demand are the hobby horse races — enter for free on show day from 1.30 at the main ring our brand new stage will showcase dancing and music The ‘Knapps Experience’ will be next to the main ring where young and old can learn about farming There will be free games for adults and kids and a treasure hunt — pick up a form and pencil at the entry gate follow the clues and drop off your completed sheet at the Knapps Experience to be in with a chance of winning a family pass for a Farm Trailer Tour with Kilmacolm Farm Tours Parking is free but limited. A free shuttle bus will run from Quarrier’s Village/Kilmacolm. Entry fees and accessibility information is on the website www.KilmacolmShow.org Carers’ discount with Carer’s Passport Follow us on socials to keep up to date with show news. Information, schedules and online entry for Light Horses and Dog classes are available on the website www.KilmacolmShow.org CRUISE Ship Arriving A Day Earlier Than Planned Privacy Policy Preview The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog Work to demolish parts of the Clune Park estate in Port Glasgow is due to begin Contractors on behalf of Inverclyde Council have moved on site to prepare for the demolition of the former school and church buildings within the estate within the next couple of weeks followed by the demolition of an initial 138 properties across 15 tenement blocks thereafter It is the first phase of demolition at Clune Park which comprises around 430 residential properties across 45 tenement blocks in total.  These works are being carried out in the interests of safety after dangerous buildings notices were served following extensive investigations by council building standards officers and external surveyors The first tranche of flats to be demolished are opposite the former church building and comprise of the western side of Bruce Street and connecting section of Robert Street and both sides of Wallace Street Work will be carried out by Greenock-based company Caskie Limited following certification that all utilities are disconnected The contractors have moved on site to get set up and clear the area in preparation for the demolition works which are expected to start before the end of April and are due to last around six months said: “It’s important to remember that the former school and church buildings and the residential properties are being demolished in the interests of safety based on professional advice following extensive investigations “The council has a duty to ensure public safety across Inverclyde and take action where necessary to protect the public from dangerous buildings and that’s the position we find ourselves in with Clune Park “With the demolition due to commence this is an historic moment and progress towards the ultimate goal of regenerating this prominent area of Port Glasgow.  “There is still a long way to go to realise our ambition of redeveloping Clune Park but this is a significant step in the right direction and one I’m sure the people of Port Glasgow and wider Inverclyde will welcome.”  Another two tranches of dangerous buildings notices have been issued on other sections of the estate and further investigations are taking place to identify other potentially dangerous buildings The council has been proactively acquiring properties in Clune Park for a number of years and now owns over half the estate The vast majority of Clune Park is derelict and the residential blocks former school and the old church buildings have all been badly affected by deliberate fires and anti-social behaviour in recent times and that has contributed to the deterioration of the condition of the properties People are encouraged to stay away from the area and take heed of the safety warnings during demolition phases Council officers have held information sessions to inform people living in and around Clune Park about the works A new Clune Park masterplan was approved by the council in November 2023 with the ultimate aim of demolishing the estate and building up to 165 new The masterplan is subject to a variety of factors including securing ownership of the remainder of the estate and attracting the necessary external funding to build new homes use the Related Links on this page The Victoria Tower (245ft) is Italianate in style It exceeds the height of the tower of Glasgow City chambers as allegedly Greenock Town Council held back the plans for the tower until Glasgow City Chambers plans had been revealed.  Inverclyde Council use cookies on this website to improve the customer experience Your cookie settings can be changed at any time through your browser settings. To find out more see our cookies page By continuing to navigate you consent to the use of cookies It appears that your web browser does not support JavaScript, or you have temporarily disabled scripting. Either way, this site won't work without it. Please take a look at our browser support page for more help The community of Port Glasgow is invited to get involved as the town celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2025 Inverclyde Council has organised various activities and is working with partners to make sure everyone in the community is included A consultation at the start of the year asked residents what they’d like to see during the year and the results have shaped much of the planning A wealth of other projects will also be delivered by the council including documenting community voices; a Port Glasgow-themed Dungeon and Dragons adventure; special talks and more organisations and businesses are all encouraged to get involved by organising their own projects with many already planning fringe events to take place in the town around the Comet Festival weekend Provost Drew McKenzie said: “This is a terrific milestone and one which gives us an excuse to shine a light on this wonderful town of ours “I am looking forward to celebrating the history of Port Glasgow this year will join me in marking the anniversary of our town and I hope to see many getting involved in all the positive activities.” The council is encouraging local community groups and organisations to get involved in spreading the word about Port Glasgow 250 by using our bespoke branding Designed with strong geometric images to mimic the panels used in shipbuilding and the now iconic Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow sculpture the artwork uses a variety of primary colours to reflect the beautiful landscape around Port Glasgow as well as a spark of red for industry A free toolkit including a variety of formats for use across print is available from corporate.communications@inverclyde.gov.uk This is also the email for groups to use if planning anything to be included in the programme The origins of Port Glasgow date back to the late sixteenth century when the authorities in Glasgow purchased land by the village of Newark to establish a port for the city the principal custom house on the River Clyde was constituted at the Port of Glasgow.  The settlement around the port grew quickly and soon absorbed the fishing village of Newark Newark was a burgh of barony belonging to Hamilton of Wishaw while Port Glasgow remained under the municipal authority of the City of Glasgow Recognising the complexities of this arrangement an act of parliament was passed in 1775 establishing Port Glasgow as a burgh in its own right The Port Glasgow (Improvement) Act 1775 defined the burgh’s municipal responsibilities and its authority to raise duty The Act was passed on 22 May 1775 and Port Glasgow was born Click the links on this page to visit Discover Inverclyde and find out what’s going on to mark Port Glasgow 250 29 April, 2025 | Local THE doors have opened at a brand new opticians in Port Glasgow following £500,000 of investment has four test rooms and will provide services including contact lenses are also directors at the Specsavers store in Greenock “Lots of hard work has gone on behind the scenes in the last few months to get the new store ready so I want to say a big thank-you to all the team for making it possible,” said Megan it was fantastic to be able to open our doors and welcome customers A big thank-you to Port Glasgow Juniors football team for coming along to cut the ribbon and celebrate with us we thought it would be nice for them to also be part of the launch “This new store will be open seven days a week which alongside our recent investment in our flagship Greenock store allows even more of the community across Inverclyde to have access to the services we provide We look forward to continuing to provide the very best care we can to more of the local community.” State-of-the-art equipment has been installed throughout the store including an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine This technology allows the optometrist to take a 3D image of the back of the eye to help spot serious eye conditions Emergency services were called to the Princes Street area of Port Glasgow. Emergency services were called to the Princes Street area of Port Glasgow at around 6.30am following reports of a 15-year-old boy being assaulted. The teen was taken to hospital for treatment. No arrests have been made and an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident is still ongoing. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “About 6.30am on Saturday, April 19, 2025, we were called to a report of a youth having been assaulted in the Princes Street area of Port Glasgow. “Officers attended and a 15-year-old male was taken to hospital for treatment. “Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0621 of Saturday, April 19, 2025.” STV News is now on WhatsAppGet all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Follow STV News on WhatsAppScan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country '+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text+' "+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title+" "+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text+" December 17, 2024 by Auditor General The future of the publicly owned Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow (FMPG) shipyard is uncertain with no more work secured beyond the completion of MV Glen Rosa (802) FMPG has now handed over the delayed MV Glen Sannox with MV Glen Rosa currently due to be delivered in September 2025 there are multiple risks to the continued costs of completing MV Glen Rosa Ongoing investment is needed to make the yard competitive and generate future income A transcript of this video is available to download with the other files on this page Equality Independence Innovation Integrity Respect If you require a publication in an alternative format or want to find out about the types of correspondence we deal with Contact us Subscribe to receive email notification whenever new reports are published Click to subscribe Get Adobe Reader - Opens in a new window  26 April, 2025 | Local PORT Glasgow East Community Council’s next meeting will hear about heritage work for the town’s 250th anniversary The public event on Tuesday 6 May is also the community council’s annual general meeting with refreshments from 6.30pm and the meeting from 7 o’clock Organ Recital At Lyle Kirk On 4 May Tinto Hill Walk For Inverclyde Ramblers Greenock West End Road Closure Port Glasgow’s 250th Anniversary On Agenda At Meeting Gourock Pool Opening On Friday 2 May 25 March, 2025 | Local MOTORISTS are being warned that work to improve footways on the A8 in Port Glasgow will mean a lane closure and traffic lights is carrying out the improvements on the westbound side between Newark Roundabout and Comet Roundabout in Port Glasgow although traffic management will be removed during the Easter holidays (17 to 28 April) Amey stated: “This work will take place under a nearside lane closure and three-way 24-hour continuous temporary traffic lights at this location road users are encouraged to travel at off-peak times and seek alternative routes or modes of transport.” FMPG currently has no contracts for work following the two ferries The only guaranteed income is funding from the Scottish Government up to 2026 The yard’s business plan to 2029 had assumed direct award for the Scottish Government’s small vessel replacement programme This wasn’t possible due to UK subsidy laws FMPG is now one of six firms invited to tender for the contract Auditors have raised serious concerns over poor governance and decision-making No evidence was provided as to how FMPG decided to award two employee exit packages Both were above the £95,000 public sector threshold set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual which provides guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds These payments were made without the required Ministerial views An internal investigation revealed the yard’s previous chief executive agreed changes to a seconded employee’s contract without the formal approval of either the board or remuneration committee Not only was this a failure to follow accepted procedure it also resulted in FMPG having to back-pay HMRC £48,000 in underpaid income tax These failings and weaknesses in the yard’s control and governance arrangements must be addressed The future of the Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow shipyard remains uncertain Currently the yard hasn’t secured any future work or income We are again highlighting issues of inadequate governance and decision making An independent review of governance arrangements needs to be swiftly actioned to ensure such poor decisions