FEARS over traffic disruption on the A78 and over-stretched schools have been raised following a bid for a new village with 650 homes at the site of the former power station at Inverkip.

Scottish Power lodged an outline planning application last month and the public are now being asked to give their views.

The blueprint for Brueacre Village features a village centre with retail and community facilities plus open spaces, including a public park.

The applicants have billed it as an 'exciting development that will support the regeneration and transformation of an extensive unused site', but the proposal has sparked concern in some quarters.

Paul Cassidy, chairman of Inverkip and Wemyss Bay Community Council, said: "Some residents have been getting in touch with us concerned that the increase in houses will affect placements in local schools.

"People living at the top of Inverkip in Spey Road will be also affected by the slip road to the A78 to Greenock being closed off once 30 per cent of the houses are built.

"This equates to around 200 houses and means people will have to make a detour through the development."

Ward councillor Ciano Rebecchi says he has been approached by constituents unhappy about the development putting pressure on the road network.

He said: "It could add an extra half an hour onto people's time to get to work.

"Every house built will likely have a minimum of two cars and bigger houses perhaps three.

"That's an extra 1,200 cars on this stretch of road."

Mr Cassidy said that it was a given that traffic would increase with the new development as public transport services are limited.

He said: "There is a semi regular bus service and only one train per hour."

The community council is urging people to make submissions to the council outlining their concerns and it has launched an A78 Road Survey.

The road safety survey is open to residents, businesses and organisations in Inverkip and Wemyss Bay and is online at bit.ly/3vCkWkS