An outstanding opportunity for urban renewal in one of Scotland’s oldest towns has been created by the successful marketing of a prime riverside site by DM Hall, one of Scotland’s leading firms of Chartered Surveyors.

The 7.3 acre asset lies between Castle Street and the River Leven in the historic centre of Dumbarton, the ancient capital of Strathclyde. It has been sold to Cullross, the Dundee-based development business, which plans to deliver affordable housing, in conjunction with Dunbritton Housing Association.

It is now likely that the Dumbarton Harbour area will benefit from the building of in the region of 108 affordable homes in an attractive setting close to the town centre and across the river from the marina.

The sale of the site is the latest success for DM Hall’s West Commercial team and will bring new heart to Dumbarton by bringing a former industrial area back into positive use for the community.

David Reid, of DM Hall’s West Commercial team, which acted jointly with Bilfinger GVA, said: “This site was part of Dumbarton’s industrial heritage for more than 150 years and is located in a prime position for residential use. This really is good news for the town.”

The Dumbarton Harbour site was once home to one of Dumbarton’s most venerable Victorian shipbuilders, Archibald McMillan, which began launching craft into the river in the middle of the 19th century, in competition with famous shipyard names such as William Denny.

When the last ship was launched in 1930, the yard lay empty for eight years before it was taken over by Hiram Walker who built a successful distillery which was subsequently run by Allied Distillers.

Before it closed in 2002, it was producing 25 million gallons of Scotch a year and the company’s maturation warehouse was famously guarded by a gaggle of geese, known as The Scotch Watch. An old mill tower still stands on the Dumbarton Harbour site.