Inverclyde Council planning bosses have welcomed a decision from the Scottish Government not to veto plans to build nearly 100 flats on land beside the Gourock Ropeworks in Port Glasgow.

Councillors on the Planning Board had already backed plans for the construction of 98 flats at a meeting on 5 March 2008. However, an objection from SEPA meant the Scottish Government had the final say on whether the development got the go ahead.

SEPA was worried that there was a one in 200 year chance the access roads leading to the flats, the A8 and Bay Street, could be subject to flooding. The Council has now received confirmation from Ministers that they will not interfere in the application and will now allow the Council to deal with the matter itself.

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Planning Board Chairman, Councillor David Wilson said: "I am delighted at this decision from the Scottish Government to allow the Council to progress with these flats which are integral to the ongoing regeneration of Port Glasgow.

"This is a common sense decision from Ministers because the Board felt that refusing an application for houses based on such long odds was inappropriate and bureaucratic. I want to pay tribute to the hard work of our Head of Planning Fraser Williamson and his team who had been happy with the plans from day one. Mr Williamson felt that SEPA was taking an overly cautious approach and I agreed with that."

The proposed flats, which will boast 211 parking spaces, will be in four blocks, each seven floors high, with three blocks on land to the west of the Ropeworks and one to the east. The flats would have balconies and each block would have a penthouse-style apartment on the top floor with roof deck.

(GK/JM)