SANDY and James Easdale have hired Barton Willmore to design a blueprint for the former IBM site in Greenock.

The brothers bought the 70-acre site for £1.5 million last year and have now engaged design and planning consultants.

Barton Wilmore has been involved in developments including the £320m Aberdeen Harbour expansion and an extension to the Wardpark film studios in North Lanarkshire where TV series Outlander was made.

Building firm Advance Construction has also been appointed to work on the Spango Valley project.

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It is understood a commercial development is planned. Under the proposed local development plan around a third of the site is zoned for mixed use development including business, industrial, storage or distribution.

The Easdales’ businesses in the Arranglen Group include McGill’s, Arc Vehicle Rental and Blairs Windows.

The Morton sponsors have also bought Gourock bars the Old Wherry Tavern and Monteith’s.

They added Cappielow Trade Park and the former Misco warehouse in Greenock to their portfolio for a combined £4.2m. Easdales’ advisor Jack Irvine said the brothers’ companies are ‘committed to supporting the town of Greenock and the local area, not just in football but with a wide-range of community benefits’.