COUNCILLORS have voted in favour of a solar energy development on a 70-hectare site at Devol Moor, Port Glasgow.
The 25-megawatt facility will be installed south Of Dougliehill Road and east of B788 Kilmacolm Road and will have around 600 panels.
Inverclyde planners had recommended refusal of the application by Glasgow-based renewables developer Renewco Power but it was approved by Inverclyde Planning Board today following a visit to the site.
Officials had stated in their report: “The development would introduce extensive energy infrastructure into an area currently characterised by openness and simplicity. As a consequence, the proposal would undermine the role of the green belt in protecting the landscape setting and identity of Port Glasgow, erode the environmental quality of the green belt and contribute to the increasing industrialisation of this sensitive upland fringe.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “There is no doubt the application will have an impact on the green belt but the issue for me is balancing that against the national imperative to move away from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy generation
“Solar has got to be part of the mix and we in Inverclyde have to make our contribution. On balance I believe we should grant this with appropriate conditions. I don’t agree it will lead to an industrial landscape.”
