PASSIONATE eco-warriors who want to restore an historic glen in Greenock’s east end say they are being thwarted by red tape.

Friends of Auchmountain Glen formed in 2013 and the volunteer group has been working hard to clear the area of rubbish and cut back overgrown paths.

They got off to a flying start with funding from Inverclyde Council’s Grants to Voluntary Organisations to buy tools and were handed a storage container by River Clyde Homes.

But they have been stopped in their tracks over finding a suitable location for it within the parkland.

Group treasurer John Dollard said: “We want to get the container on site to store the tools.

“We’ve identified three possible sites but when we suggested them to planning officials they keep rejecting them.

“We’ve been clearing all the rubbish and opening up the paths in the Glen because we want to more people to visit it.

“The charity Action for Children have young people who want to come to the paths and other voluntary organisations want to help restore the Glen but we can’t get the tools on site.

“It was claimed one possible location was ‘too visible’.

“There are containers all over Inverclyde.

“We painted the George Wyllie stag Monarch of the Glen because it was covered in graffiti, so we could paint the container to fit in with the environment of the Glen too.”

John says he and volunteers want to raise the profile of the east end oasis but feel they have fallen at the last hurdle.

He said: “We’re been hit with red tape. We want to get different organisations involved including schoolchildren and nurseries.

“I know some local schools go on the bus to Ardgowan Estate when they could do their outdoor learning at Auchmountain Glen instead.”

A council spokesman said today that progress is being made in the bid to find a home for the container. He said: “We have been working closely with the group to find a suitable location for their container which will not detract from the amenity of the area.

“A number of sites were suggested but our planners advised us these would not be acceptable. We have come to an agreement with the group about a proposed site that would be acceptable from a planning perspective and are currently investigating how to put the container in place.”