John Clark's £6m Land Rover site at Newbridge

The John Clark Motor Group is revving up its investment programme by pumping £6 million into a new Land Rover dealership at Newbridge, to the west of Edinburgh.

Work on the 3.5-acre site near the M9 motorway is due to begin this month, with the showroom expected to open in January.

The expansion will create 20 jobs in addition to the 40 posts transferring from the group's current Land Rover dealership on Edinburgh's Lanark Road, which trades under the Pentland brand.

The company - which is Scotland's fourth-largest motor trader, turning over about 280 million a year and employing some 680 staff at 16 showrooms in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Fife - will become the sole Land Rover dealer for Edinburgh and the Lothians.

John Clark will take over from Stratstone, part of London-listed Pendragon, which is currently running a Land Rover franchise at Inchview Terrace, in the east of Edinburgh.

The Aberdeen-based firm also plans to open a smaller repair workshop in the east of Edinburgh during early 2012.

Chairman and managing director John Clark, who founded his business 35 years ago, said: "We opened Pentland Land Rover in 1998 with the franchise for the west of Edinburgh and have seen considerable growth in our business over the past 13 years.

"The expansion is the latest stage in our commitment to Edinburgh and our investment of 6m in this new dealership underlines our confidence in the future strength of this market and the Land Rover franchise."

Group director Chris Clark added that the company was still in discussions with its banking partners regarding funding for the new dealership, which will include a 12-vehicle showroom and a 14-bay workshop.