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Renfrewshire is in line for a jobs bonanza after council chiefs approved plans for a £200million extension at Braehead.

Around 5,000 posts will be created at the Renfrew shopping centre when the massive development is unveiled.

Proposals given the green light by Renfrewshire Council include a new public square, surrounded by a state-of-the-art sports arena and hotel, with work likely to start next year.

A department store, shops, cafes and restaurants will also be built, served by a dedicated transport hub, connecting the mall with Paisley and Glasgow by Fastlink bus. There will also be improved cycling and walking routes.

The plans have been hailed by Renfrewshire Council leader Mark Macmillan and comes only weeks after the site was granted town centre status.

He told the Paisley Daily Express: “One of the key priorities of this council is to create employment opportunities for local residents.

“This is why Braehead was given town centre status, as that has helped the area to attract this multi-million-pound investment and create jobs on this scale.”

“The change of land designation means the local authority has greater freedom over what type of developments can be erected at the site and when.

“This allows planners to quickly draw up blueprints to entice new firms to invest in the area and housebuilders to erect new estates.”

Council chiefs believe the work will further regenerate the area, which has been transformed from an industrial wasteland since the centre opened 15 years ago.

More than 1,000 homes have been built in the shadow of the intu Braehead mall in that time, with thousands of jobs created at dozens of businesses.

Councillor Macmillan added: “Braehead has already driven a transformation of the Clyde waterfront and we expect this development will strengthen that regeneration process further, with substantial benefits for the wider Renfrewshire economy.

“Of course, when considering an application like this we have to carefully weigh up the impact on other town centres around the area — but their role has evolved.

“Braehead is now Renfrewshire’s primary retail centre and our other towns are not in direct competition.

“Instead, they have other assets that can be used to bring people in and we are doing a lot to promote that, with major projects ongoing in Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone.

“For example, Paisley has an internationally-significant heritage and cultural appeal and the council is already working on ambitious plans to use that transform the town over the next decade, leading to a bid for UK City of Culture in 2021.”

Mall bosses expect an influx of shoppers when the work is completed.

A bridge connecting Yoker and Renfrew, to be built as part of the £1.1billion Clyde Valley City Deal, will allow families greater access to the Kings Inch Road complex from across the River Clyde.

Peter Beagley, intu’s regional centre director with responsibility for Braehead, said: “Members of Renfrewshire Council’s planning board have taken a major step towards creating 5,000 new jobs, with £200m of private investment at Braehead.

“Without this planning permission, the vital jobs, along with the investment in Renfrewshire, could not be delivered.

“We look forward to working with the council to now bring forward detailed planning applications.”

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