A Scottish town near Glasgow could soon boast the UK's longest urban zipline, as part of an ambitious regeneration project at James Watt Dock in Greenock, Inverclyde. The plan aims to transform the heritage site into a vibrant hub of restaurants, businesses, and residential areas.
The centrepiece of the proposal is a 150-foot Titan cantilever crane, built in 1917 and one of only four remaining in Scotland. The crane, historically used for fitting out ships, would be repurposed to support the zipline, which is set to become the longest urban example in the UK.
The regeneration follows the conditional sale of the dock's waterfront site to Glasgow Arts Centre Limited. The site includes historic sugar sheds that played a key role in Britain's 19th-century import industry, with Greenock's ports attracting up to 400 sugar trade ships annually.
Bradley Mitchell, director of Glasgow Arts Centre Limited, stated the project aims to “connect Greenock to Glasgow through culture and heritage.” Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, called it “a significant moment” for the area, adding that the proposals have “the potential to create an exciting new attraction to encourage even more people, near and far, to discover Inverclyde.”
The development will proceed in three phases, with ownership of each phase transferred only upon successful completion of the previous one. Planning for the sugar sheds redevelopment is expected to be submitted to Inverclyde Council in early autumn 2025. The longest zipline in Britain currently is Hangloose in Bluewater, Wales, at 724 metres with speeds up to 60mph.
