CAMPAIGNERS last night welcomed news that Scottish Executive ministers are to invoke rarely used powers for a public examination of proposals for the redevelopment of a former munitions factory which contains some of the most contaminated soil in Britain.
Last April, an alteration to the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Structure Plan was submitted to ministers identifying Bishopton, Renfrewshire, as a "community growth area" suitable for accommodating significant urban expansion.
Under a deal agreed with BAe Systems, Redrow Homes wants to create more than 2300 houses, leisure facilities, shops and a business park at the 2400-acre former Royal Ordnance Factory complex in Bishopton, which is the biggest brownfield site in Scotland.
The clean-up operation was expected to cost BAe GBP20m to GBP40m over the next 10 years and create about 4000 jobs.
The proposal attracted around 2000 objections from residents who feared the work would disturb highly toxic waste in the ground.
The executive will announce today that the examination of the proposals will take the form of a structured discussion led by an inquiry reporter.
It will focus on two main questions: "Do either the presence of contamination within the site, or the measures required for its remediation, raise issues of sufficient concern to preclude the identification of Bishopton as a community growth area?" and "Does the capacity of the road and rail network preclude the identification of Bishopton as a community growth area?"
Interested parties will be invited to make representations and take part in the examination in public, which is expected to start next spring.
Deputy Communities Minister Des McNulty said: "It is vital that we have as full a picture as possible. The public examination will ensure that the decision which ministers make on the structure plan is informed by a proper understanding of the issues raised by the proposal."
Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservative party and a resident of Bishopton, who has argued that the infrastructure of the village is unsuitable for such largescale regeneration, said last night: "I am immensely relieved to hear this. It is the first sign of common sense breaking through. Because this is a very unusual power, the community of Bishopton will want to be reassured that a public examination is a robust inquiry into facts."
Tony Sawersby, vicechairman of Bishopton Action Group, said: "This is fantastic news and is a result for people power. If there is any justice in the planning system then Bishopton will be left as it is and the residents will be safe."
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