Hunterston Plans Rejected By Local Council

Photo by johnthescone

The plans for a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire have been rejected by the local council.

In a not-unsurprising move (the BBC were saying yesterday that it was going to be rejected), North Ayrshire Council have decided that they're not prepared to sell their soul for jobs "at any cost", to quote the Council Leader.

Of course, they were probably helped in their decision by the record-breaking 21,000 objections, with everyone from Christian Aid to the local yacht club baulking at a new dirty coal plant in the area.

But while the battle is over, the war against Hunterston is not yet won. With the planning application rejected, the Scottish Government now gets to have a say over the future of the plant, and they've blown hot and cold.

First, they shoehorned it into their National Planning Framework claiming that it was essential for the economy. Then, 12 months ago, they decided that it wasn't essential for Scotland's future energy needs. With the First Minister winning awards for his work to tackle climate change, will he finally kill off this proposal, and do it quickly?

Or will we discover that the Emperor has no clothes?