Power Station Future

09/11/2001
New Inverclyde Local Plan to come into force soon

Why Does it Matter?

The Local Plan adopted and in force provides the framework for Council planning policy, and designates areas as residential or suitable for development of various types, or greenbelt. This is often referred to as zoning. As such it has the effect of defining the scope of possible planning applications by would be developers and existing residents and businesses alike. It also addresses other key issues such as transport infrastructure improvements required or desired.

Your Community Council last year wrote to the head of Inverclyde Council Planning Service requesting that the long awaited revised Local Plan explicitly address the question of Inverkip Power Station, as we did not believe that it would have been appropriate to continue the pretence that it was ever likely to actually be brought back into use. Technically at present the power station site and surrounding wood are zoned as greenbelt.

It became apparent in discussions with this official that how the power station was treated in the revised local plan would likely have a bearing on the future change of use of this site. It also became apparent that the only realistic way to achieve its removal was by designating this site for development of some sort, as the current owner Scottish Power was under no obligation to restore the site to a state of nature, so profit from the site's redevelopment was required to make it financially viable to pay for the very costly job of removing the chimney, tanks and pier, as well as the generator hall itself.

There have since been official discussions within the Council's Economic Development Committee, which were commented upon by our ward Councillor, Bob Campbell, in last month's edition of the WB News, and which were also published in the Inverkip newsletter.

The power station junction with the A78 is assuming key significance as the sole trunk road access point for the ongoing large scale housing developments behind Inverkip, and indeed the Community Council has lobbied (unsuccessfully) in the past for the most recent Brueacre residential development to have its own A78 access into this junction.

What is Likely to Happen and Why?

The Council is struggling to keep the total population high enough for Inverclyde to remain viable as a separate local authority. Most of the newcomers to Wemyss Bay and Inverkip are people who have moved from Greenock and Port Glasgow, both of which are suffering significant population decline. Almost all of you would agree that local needs would be better served if Inverclyde remained, rather than being reduced to an outpost of Paisley.

It is a basic fact of life that most of the development within Inverclyde is taking place at either end, the so called "doughnut" effect, whereby the three burghs (or at least two of them) are losing population which is migrating to the greener edges. The net effect is an overall population decline, masked by growth at the edges but with greater decline in the middle. (Doughnuts are hollow!)

All of you will accordingly understand how critical the new Local Plan will be for the future of Wemyss Bay, Inverkip, and Inverclyde as a whole, and the fundamental pressure on the Council to encourage as much development as possible. It is accordingly to be expected that more greenbelt will be rezoned for development, with particular emphasis on Inverkip power station and the surrounding woods.

Indications are that the Council's Economic Development Committee favours mixed residential, retail and business development for the power station site and there is also talk of a secondary school "campus" with both religious and non-denominational elements. Development on such a scale has significant implications for traffic flows, particularly northbound up the A78 in morning rush hour.

What Should We/Can We Do About It?

The community has a legal right to be consulted. Indeed the Council in the past couple of years laid on Local Plan roadshows, we had one in the community centre, in order to get some public interest.

Unfortunately the draft Local Plan at that time did not address the question of the power station site at all, whereas in fact that is the determining issue for the future of the area.

The Community Council is pleased that the question of the power station is now on the agenda, as it would have been a nonsense to plan for the future on the basis of the fiction that it was, and was going to remain, operational.

What we need now is a public debate conducted in both Wemyss Bay and Inverkip to establish the views of the inhabitants on zoning and development in general, and the fate of the power station site in particular.

Bear in mind that the ideal option, proper restoration of what is legally greenbelt to a state of nature, is not available. The choice is between the status quo, whereby the power station site continues to moulder but the threat of it being brought back into service one day remains, or planned mixed development of the site, possibly including shopping, offices and a secondary school, as well as residential housing. The devil is in the detail, which is why proper public focus now is so important.

For the new Local Plan to come into force it has to be laid in its final form before the public for six weeks, and if there are any objections, there has to be a Local Planning Inquiry, or LPI, run by an independent official from the Scottish Executive, known as the Reporter. LPIs have been known to run for years before arriving at a final decision. Local Plans once adopted tend to remain in force for a decade or more.

There is a designated official of the Inverclyde Planning Service, responsible for the Local Plan, whom we hear is delighted to attend public meetings, provide presentations and plans etc. The Community Council will organise a public meeting between now and Christmas in the hope of provoking an informed public debate and ensuring that if a consensus view emerges on the big local issues that it duly gets incorporated into the new Local Plan.

We will also organise the web site wemyssbay.net to record a sample opinion poll on development of the power station site, and to provide an open forum for residents to post their own views and share them with the community. As far as practical we will publish people's written views on the community centre notice board, in the WB News and possibly in the Spar shop as well. Please write to Jenny McGee.

Get Involved!

It is likely that once the cat is out the bag, there will be extended public debate, and indeed that a Local Planning Inquiry to settle opposed views will be necessary. Please think about it, get informed and get involved. This will be a bit of a long slog, but at the end of it, we hope a proper vision for our future based on the wishes of the majority will be incorporated in the Plan.

Finlay McFee, on behalf of Wemyss Bay Community Council.