250521 Planning Minute
North Ayrshire Council · 27 August 2025
Back to Planning Committee — 27 August 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Planning Committee 21 May 2025 At a Meeting of the Planning Committee of North Ayrshire Council at 2.00 p.m. involving a combination of participation by remote electronic means and physical attendance within the Council Chambers, Irvine. Present (Physical Participation) Cameron Inglis, Stewart Ferguson and Ronnie Stalker. Present (Remote Participation) Scott Davidson, Jim Montgomerie, Ian Murdoch and Chloé Roberston. In Attendance A. Finlayson, Chief Planning Officer; and A. Hume, Senior Development Management Officer (Communities and Housing); R. Lynch, Senior Manager; C. Leslie, Solicitor (Legal); S. Wilson, Committee Services Officer; and C. Cheung, Digital, Media and Marketing Analyst (Communications) (Democratic Services) (Corporate Services). Chair Councillor Inglis in the Chair. Apologies Robert Foster and Davina McTiernan. 1. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest by Members in terms of Standing Order 11 and Section 5 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. 2. Minutes The Minutes of the Meeting held on 23 April 2025 were confirmed and signed in accordance with Paragraph 7 (1) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. 3. 25/00103/PP : Site to South West of Woodside House, Beith Submitted a report by the Chief Planning Officer seeking planning permission for the erection of a detached dwelling house with associated garden ground, parking and boundary treatment. The Committee noted no deputation requests were received for this application. Officers responded to Members’ questions on various aspects of the report and Councillor Inglis, seconded by Councillor Ferguson proposed a motion to refuse planning permission due to the proposed development being contrary to the development plan and in particular Local Development Plan Strategic Policy 1 (The Countryside Objective) and Policy 17 (Rural Housing) of National Planning Framework 4. There being no amendment, the Committee unanimously agreed to refuse planning permission.
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4. 25/00130/PP : Hunterston Construction Yard, Fairlie Submitted a report by the Chief Planning Officer seeking permission for the proposed earthworks to grade existing construction yard area to tie in with adjoining site ground levels, including boundary fencing, lighting columns and CCTV. The Committee noted no deputation requests were received for this application. Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Murdoch proposed a motion to grant planning permission subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to any works commencing on site a Phase II Intertidal Survey will be completed and provided to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, and NatureScot. The Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) will be updated to reflect the findings of this survey including details of the approach to ongoing assessment of the identified PMFs during and post works. Following completion of the works a Project Completion report will be provided detailing the PMF condition recorded during and post work completion. This report will also detail any remedial work required to be carried out on the basis of the monitoring results, to be agreed with the Council, as Planning Authority, in consultation with NatureScot. Thereafter all works are to be carried out in accordance with any CEMP as may be approved, to the satisfaction of the Council, as Planning Authority. 2. Prior to commencement of the development an independent ecological clerk of works (ECoW) shall be appointed. The contact details, credentials and terms of reference shall be submitted to the Council, as Planning Authority, for approval. For the avoidance of doubt, the ECoW will audit the CEMP, and the construction practices contained therein. The ECoW will have the authority to halt any works not in accordance with the CEMP and report such incidences to the Council, as Planning Authority. 3. Prior to commencement of the development a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) shall be submitted to the Council, as Planning Authority, for approval in consultation with Transport Scotland. Such a plan should include measures to facilitate the continuous operation of the Ayrshire Coastal Path. Thereafter all works are to be carried out in accordance with any CTMP as may be approved, to the satisfaction of the Council, as Planning Authority. 4. That no infill material shall be brought to the site by road. 5. Prior to the commencement of the development, a Construction Noise Management Plan (CNMP) shall be submitted to the Council, as North Ayrshire Council, for approval in consultation with NAC Environmental Health. Any CNMP shall include details of proposed monitoring for any possible work outwith the hours 7am to 7pm and details of procedures to be undertaken should NAC Environmental Health receive a valid complaint relating to noise disturbance. Thereafter all works shall be carried out in accordance with any
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CNMP as may be approved, to the satisfaction of the Council, as Planning Authority. 6. Prior to the commencement of the development, a Dust Management Plan (DMP) shall be submitted to the Council, as North Ayrshire Council, for approval in consultation with NAC Environmental Health. Thereafter all works shall be carried out in accordance with any DMP as may be approved, to the satisfaction of the Council, as Planning Authority. 7. The works shall be carried out in accordance with the recommendations set out in Section 5.2 of the Phase 1 Geo-Environmental Risk Assessment, prepared by Envirocentre dated March 2024. Any unsuspected contamination become evident during the works shall be brought to the attention of NAC Environmental Health. Thereafter a suitable investigation strategy as agreed with North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, shall be implemented and any necessary remediation works carried out prior to any further works taking place on the site, all to the satisfaction of North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority. 5. 25/00079/PP : Former Coal Terminal Hunterston, West Kilbride Submitted a report by the Chief Planning Officer seeking permission for the variation of condition 11 of permission 23/00070/PP relating to the construction of a high voltage sub-sea cable manufacturing facility. Officers responded to Members’ questions on various aspects of the report and Councillor Ferguson, seconded by Councillor Murdoch proposed a motion to approve planning permission subject to the following conditions: 1. That the permission is for a high voltage cable manufacturing facility with associated factories, research and testing laboratories, offices with associated stores, transport, access, parking and landscaping with on-site generation and electrical infrastructure and cable delivery system only and planning permission would be required for any other use within Class 5 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order, as amended. 2. Prior to development commencing the applicant shall implement the measures detailed under Mitigation Measures Adopted as Part of the Project in Chapter 9 Hydrogeology, Geology and Ground Conditions of the submitted EIA report dated February 2022. All documentation be verified by a suitably qualified Environmental Consultant and submitted to the satisfaction of North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority. 3. Prior to commencement of the works above ground level of development of the tower, details of a financial bond to be secured with the landowner for the removal of the tower in the event of redundancy shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for written approval. Any such bond shall be retained through the life of the development with confirmation to be provided to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, on a yearly basis following completion of the tower.
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4. Should the tower become redundant, it shall be removed within 6 months of redundancy. For the avoidance of doubt, redundancy means the factory not becoming operational within 3 years of construction of the tower or the factory ceasing to operate for a period of more than 1 year after first becoming operational. 5. The prior to commencement of the development of the tower, details of the external finish shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for written approval. The development will thereafter be undertaken in accordance with any details as may be approved and the tower maintained with those details unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. 6. The prior to the commencement of the development of the tower, a Dust Management Plan for the control of dust from the construction of the tower shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for written approval. Thereafter the development shall be undertaken in accordance with any Plan as may be approved. 7. That prior to the commencement of the development of the tower, a Construction Management Plan and Code of Practice, including details for monitoring and action against non-compliance shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for approval. Thereafter the construction shall be carried out only as approved by the Plan and Code of Practice. For the avoidance of doubt this shall include an assessment of use of the rail and port connections as a first principle and the prohibition of the use of the A78 through Fairlie, the B780/B781, the C26 and all local non- classified roads by construction vehicles and details of management of impact on the core path and cycle rout network. 8. That prior to the commencement of the development of the tower, details of an appointed Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for approval. The details shall include contact details, the scope and responsibilities of the ECoW as well as confirmation of their power to halt or otherwise stop works which are not in accordance with the mitigation measures identified in the EIA or others, as may be approved. The development will thereafter be undertaken only with the oversight of the appointed ECoW. 9. The rated noise level, as defined in `BS4142:2014+A1:2019, from the operation of the tower must not exceed the background noise level at the curtilage of any existing or consented noise sensitive property at the time of application. 10. The prior to the commencement of the development of the tower, that a scheme to treat surface water arising from the or otherwise affecting the site of the tower, prepared in accordance with the principles and practices contained in 'The SuDS Manual' (CIRIA report C7453, published November 2015) and the requirements of The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, and certified by a suitably qualified person, shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for written approval. Thereafter, the certified scheme shall be implemented prior to the
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completion of the development of the tower and maintained thereafter to the satisfaction of North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority. Any scheme approved shall include details of proposed ground levels, finished floor levels, and pre & post development overland flows that shall demonstrate that people and property would not be put at flood risk during the designed storm event (1 in 200 return period plus an allowance for climate change and urban creep) when the capacity of the proposed infrastructure is exceeded. 11. Prior to the commencement of the tower, confirmation that the basement proposals are sufficiently flood resilient/resistant, including an accompanying certified flood management plan suitably addresses residual flood risk at the site form all sources of flooding, certified by a suitable qualified person, shall be submitted in writing for the written approval of North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority. 12. In the event that the works to commence the tower are not undertaken within 1 year of the date of this permission, an updated habitat survey dated not more than 1 year prior to the date of commencement shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for written approval prior to the commencement. 13. Prior to the commencement of the development, details of omni-directional red aviation warning lights to be fitted to the tower shall be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, as Planning Authority, for approval in consultation with Prestwick Airport, Air Traffic Control and the Ministry of Defence. The lighting will thereafter be fitted and retained thereafter in accordance with any details as may be approved. In terms of Standing Order 6.8, the Chair agreed that the meeting be adjourned at 2.34p.m. reconvening at 2.38 p.m. with the same Members and officers present and in attendance. 6. 25/00042/CON : Kaim Hill, Fairlie Submitted a report by the Chief Planning Officer in relation to a consultation from the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit (ref. ECU00004981), which seeks the Council’s views on an application seeking permission for the erection of 14 no. wind turbines with a maximum tip height of 200 metres and generation capacity exceeding 80MW and the siting of a battery energy storage system with a capacity exceeding 50MW to include associated infrastructure. Councillor Montgomerie left the meeting at this point. Officers responded to Members’ questions and Councillor Inglis, seconded by Councillor Stalker proposed a motion that the Council submit an objection to the consultation.
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Councillor Murdoch proposed an amendment that the Council submit an objection to the consultation highlight support for the objection letters submitted by Fairlie and West Kilbride Community Councils. The Legal Clerk advised that Community Councils could submit objections to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit directly and that the Council had not had sight of any objection letters submitted by Community Councils. It was therefore deemed that this was not a competent amendment. There being no further amendments, the motion was declared carried. 7. Urgent Items There were no urgent items. The meeting ended at 3.15 p.m. The full meeting proceedings can be viewed at https://north-ayrshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home