The remains of water works discovered during the upgrade to Aurs Road in East Refrewshire will not be retained, with their planned removal among several factors likely to delay the £22.68 million project.

Workers discovered an old water filtration tank, a silt trap and a well, which archaeologists have reported date from the 1870s.

An East Renfrewshire Council report states the West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS) have “since confirmed the structures are of fairly recent construction.”

It concluded the structures “do not meet the usual criteria to require preservation in situ at all costs.”

Officials added delays to the upgrade of Aurs Road, which has been closed since January and was set to reopen by the end of December, are expected to “extend the length of the construction period and delay the opening of the new road”.

The report adds there have been “delays in relation to movement of existing utility provisions, areas where ground conditions are not as anticipated, the need to remove the water works structures, as well as minor delays due to weather conditions resulting from significant rainfall during the construction period.”

A revised timetable will be set after further work to “understand the impact these factors will have on the programme” has been completed.

The report updates East Renfrewshire’s cabinet members on projects in the area receiving money from the Glasgow City Region City Deal, a £1bn infrastructure programme funded by the UK and Scottish governments.

A £44m package of work is being carried out in East Renfrewshire, with £38m from governments and £6m from the council.

Projects yet to be completed include the Aurs Road project, a new rail station at Barrhead South and visitor facilities at Dams to Darnley Country Park.

The realignment of two kilometres of Aurs Road, from the junction at Springfield Road in Barrhead to Stewarton Road in Newton Mearns, will “leave an area of land which can then be developed to provide visitor facilities within the Dams to Darnley Country Park.”

Work at Aurs Road will also involve the installation of a promenade and active travel route.

The report states the contractors “have sought to mitigate delays on site, as far as possible, by continuing to work around the impacted areas.”

It adds the remains of the water works “found while excavating the Active Travel Route have been subject to an archaeological survey by Guard Archaeology.”

“The Guard report was submitted to the WoSAS who have since confirmed the structures are of fairly recent construction, their function is known and understood, and has already been recorded.

“The WoSAS response concludes the structures do not meet the usual criteria to require preservation in situ at all costs.

As the structures are not regarded to be of critical importance and they have a significant negative impact on the planned active travel route, they will not be retained. “

Contractors are preparing a proposal to remove the stone and lay it aside to “allow us to explore the potential for its reuse, including within the country park area.”

Visitor facilities at the country park are planned to establish it “as a destination” and encourage increased visitor numbers. However, officials have reported construction costs have increased “significantly.”

“In the past there have been large-scale proposals for visitor attractions in the area,” the report states.

“However, these relied on significant private and public sector investment which is no longer available.

“Since the early proposals, construction costs have increased significantly and the availability of revenue within the Council for servicing and maintaining a facility has reduced.

“The budget for this first phase of works is an estimated £2.8m. There is a wider long-term aspiration to increase the level of facilities on offer and future funding will be sought, when suitable opportunities arise.”

Current proposals include public toilets and showers, an area suitable for vehicles serving refreshments, a covered space for events led by rangers, an outdoor classroom space and car park.

Officials add possible future activities could include “a play area and non-motorised water sports such as paddle boarding.”

Detailed design of the project is underway.

An outline business case for the country park visitor facilities is set to be submitted in September.

A full business case for the new Balgray rail station could be approved next month.

These would lead to the release of the next tranche of funding by the Glasgow City Region Cabinet.

Construction of the new train station is estimated to start early next year and take around 12 months.

The first trains are expected to stop at the station in early 2026.