CHIVAS Brothers’ plans to build 14 new warehouses in Willowyard Road in Beith have been put on hold for another month after fears over the amount of ethanol that will be produced.

At North Ayrshire Council’s most recent planning meeting on October 22, the members of the committee heard the details for the planning application and the concerns that have been raised by locals.

Committee members travelled to the site on October 20 to see the layout and proposed plans for the new site.

The new units are to be a similar scale of the buildings that are currently in place and the access to the new site will come through the existing one with no new road needing to be added.

There has been a public consultation held and of the 70 plus people in attendance, the majority voiced concerns about the trees in the area.

After Jim Miller, Senior Manager for Planning, had finished his presentation the application was opened to the floor and Councillor John Bell, who serves Kilbirnie and Beith, welcomed the new colour of the proposed units and the retention of the trees but was worried about the ethanol release and the ‘black stuff’.

Councillor Bell said: “The site is not a good neighbour. There has been no attempt to limit the ethanol release.

"Are abatement measures to be implemented?

"Cars, houses and caravans in the bottom end of Beith have been affected by the black stuff that comes from the bonds and there is also a school in close proximity.” Mr Miller said that the ethanol is regulated by the Scottish Envirmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and not by North Ayrshire Council.

Councillor Bell added: “The bonded warehouses are required to be air-tight and it is too expensive to put in the old ones so why not put it in the new ones?” Jim Miller proposed that the issue was continued to the next Planning meeting next month and this was not opposed but Councillor Robert Barr added: “The ground is useless for anything to be built on.” The next meeting of the planning committee will be on November 12.