A NEW housing scheme on contaminated land at the old ICI site at Ardeer has been given the green light by North Ayrshire Council – despite nearly 100 objections by local residents.

The scheme, by Clowes Developments, is for 70 houses on a seven hectare site on the Stevenston Industrial Estate.

The use of the land was changed from industrial to residential under the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) in 2008. A previous application for housing by the developer in November 2009 was withdrawn before being considered by NAC.

The land on which the housing development would be constructed is known to contain contaminated materials left over after industrial use of the site by ICI in the 1970s.

A site investigation report has already identified the presence of contaminated material in the area and both NAC Environmental Health and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are asking for more information from the developer as to what specific measures would be taken to treat and remove contamination.

Now locals are accusing NAC officials of ‘riding roughshod’ over the public’s rights to proper consultation on local planning changes and residents’ ability to raise objections to planning applications by sticking to ‘antiquated’ regulations.

Stanley Travers, of nearby Lundholm Road in Stevenston, said: “In respect of this application by Clowes Developments for Ardeer, North Ayrshire Council claims there has been widespread consultation but this is incorrect.” Another Ardeer householder added: “It appears that only some 67 letters were sent out by NAC to local householders.

“This excluded vast numbers of residents who will become affected by, what is, in this case, a major housing development.

“Any additional houses in this area will have a far wider impact simply those living next door to it.

“In particular our local medical practice will likely have to cope with upward of 200 new patients and our schools will have to find places for possibly upwards of 70 new pupils.

“In effect, the council is riding roughshod over the rights and the legitimate concerns of local people by sticking to antiquated regulations and failing to adequately and properly communicate with those who pay their wages.

“It’s as if the planning rules are for the benefit of the council and not the local population.” Ardeer residents say that there has been no feedback from the developer, Clowes Developments (Scotland) Ltd, despite lodging questions with them about their plans for the area and being promised answers by their representatives.

Jim Montgomerie, the Labour councillor for Saltcoats and Stevenston, who is a member of the NAC Planning Committee, agrees with local residents.

He said: “There are planning decisions being taken by North Ayrshire Council planners and planning committee members along party political lines and they are not reflecting the views and concerns of local people.

“I am well aware of this and in my opinion this is totally undemocratic.  “The council’s consultation process was a shambles when the two new school campuses were being considered for North Ayrshire and the same is happening with this planning application in Stevenston.

“Questions have to be asked as to who this planning process really helps, the council or the community?” He added: “The consultation process that North Ayrshire Council promotes, in reality, is flawed and needs updated drastically.

“Consultation with those communities that may be affected by developments needs to be transparent, community focused, easy to access and most of all fair.

“The people within these communities have rights like anyone else and their voices should be heard.” North Ayrshire Council responded to the objections over lack of consultation.  In their committee documents, they wrote: “In relation to the publicity associated with the planning application, the applicant undertook the required publicity/consultation exercise in terms of a ‘major’ development, which included a public exhibition, which was advertised in the local press and by notification to the neighbouring properties.

“The council undertook the statutory neighbour notification procedure and advertised the submission of the application in the local press.” Managing Director of Clowes Developments (Scotland) Gordon Arthur said: “This is a planning application in principle to follow on from local plans that identified the land in question as suitable for residential development.

“We are not the first company to propose building houses on the site so there has been development on the horizon for some time.”