Controversy over sale of public land in Kilmacolm

The village's community council wants to quiz Municipal Buildings chiefs and house builder MacTaggart and Mickel at the meeting this month.

The local authority has launched a consultation on the proposed sale of land at Wateryetts Drive.

Morven Armour, chair of the community council, said: "We are dedicating our September meeting to discussing this.

"We’ve invited both MacTaggart and Mickel and Inverclyde Council to attend so that we can ask questions and agree on our response as well as give residents the opportunity to find out more about the proposed sale."

The housing firm already have permission in principle to build new properties at Kilmacolm Meadow, west of Quarry Drive.

But it needs the Wateryetts Drive land to form an access road to the development, with the rest of it to be earmarked for a 'community orchard or similar with relaxation space'.

Council bosses are obliged to ask for comments because the land the company wants is a public open space.

Bill Crookston, of Kilmacolm Tenants and Residents Association said: "MacTaggart and Mickel want to buy the land between their site and the roundabout. This will take away a valuable resource from the village where people can walk and play.

"If the site is sold, we will be asking the developer to build the road and give the rest to the village for an orchard.

"We understand that the council are being offered a large sum of money for the sale of the land and as an association we asked if that would be coming back to Kilmacolm and was told it was not."

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Local businessman James Kelly said that the general mood in the village is against the development and sale of land.

He said: "I think there is a huge uprising against it. There will be huge pressure on local services such as GPs and dentists and the village won't cope with the extra cars on the road, parking is already an issue.

"I'm definitely against it, even though my business would benefit from having more people in the town. Kids play on that land."

"It's going to cause chaos, there's the building process as well, which will take years but its a fait accompli."

But councillor David Wilson, who initially opposed the development, has changed his mind.

He said: "I am broadly supportive of it.

"I am quite persuaded by the need for new housing in the village, affordable housing for young people and for older people to downsize."

Details of the full development proposal can be found online on the council’s planning portal, reference number 20/0245/IC.

Kilmacolm Community Council will hold the meeting on September 26 at 7.30pm.